A Clash of Wills : The Eleven Days
by Sui Megami
Summary: In a neverending war, the Samurai Troopers once again find themselves fighting a Netherworld Emporer. But there are a few things that separate this war from the last. Naste's not the only one aware of their presence. RyoxNaste in later chappy's.
1. Day One: Return of the Samurai

Kitty-chan: AHH! I wrote a Samurai Troopers fic? OMFG! I've been working on this for months now. It's fully handwritten and it's over 220 pages long. I know, really long. There are only like... eleven chapters, plus the Epilogue. But I've been working so hard on this one, I hope y'all like it! I do not own any of the characters in this story except Takai and his minions. All the others are copyrighted characters of Sunrise. There is Japanese spoken, but not too much. Oh yeah! This is a Samurai Troopers fic, not Ronin Warriors! (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers is the Japanese Version and the Ronin Warriors is what it was changed to when it came to America. I don't really understand that, by the way... the guys aren't even Ronins! Because... they're alive, aren't they?) Sorry! Mini rant. Here are a few key translations to all those who haven't had the chance to master the name changes between the the Troopers and the Ronins.

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock

Enjoy! The stuffwith () next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

Naste rubbed her temples as a headache pounded in her brain. She was dead tired, and the only thing on her mind was sleep. "Yagyu-san?" the female reporter sitting across from her pulled her from her thoughts. 

"Huh? Oh, gomen.(1)" Naste dropped her hands, folding them professionally in her lap.

"It's alright. We can edit that out later." The reporter fiddled with her own microphone for a moment before turning back to her pen and pad. "As I was saying, when did you first realize you wanted to be an ancient legends and mythology expert and techer?"

"Well, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. But my love of legends and mythology came from my late grandfather when he introduced me to my first and favorite legend." Maste answered, feigning alertness.

"And what legend was that?" she wondered, jotting notes and quotes in her notepad.

"The legend of the Samurai Troopers. These Troopers were to be five men with powerful ancient samurai armor. They were to appear when a dark shadow covered the earth." Naste smiled proudly.

"Wow. That does sound intriguing. Do you believe that it could be more than just a legend?"

Naste was silent for a moment. She then smiled and waved her hand. "It's not for me to judge, but it's a good story."

"Indeed. So, is this what started your career?"

"Yes. It was this extremely interesting story and poem that my grandfather used to tell me when I was a little girl that sparked my interest in legends. I guess it's in the genes, since my grandfather was into the same things." She paused as a voice filtered into the room.

"Stop! We're getting near Naste's house!" cried an English accented voice.

"Nani o?" Naste whispered to herself.

Not quite hearing her, the reporter leaned in a bit. "Sumimasen (2), Yagyu-san?"

Naste looked at her, but didn't say anything. A voice from out in the backyard, directly to their left stopped anything she was about to say. "It's not fair to get her mixed up in this again!"

"Yagyu-san? Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes! Gomen!" Naste sighed. "Just… lost my train of thought there." _Am I just hearing their voices, or are they…?_

"No! Get away from him!"

"Look out!"

"AHH!"

The lights in the room flickered and died, leaving only the light on the top part of the news camera to illuminate the living room. The reporter cast her eyes about the room, and Naste heard her breathe, "What the hell?" And then, "Can you hear that, Yagyu-san?"

"Yeah. You mean you can hear it too?" Naste stared at her.

"Yeah. Those voices?"

Naste nodded. "Where are they coming from?"

"It seems to be coming from outside."

"Catch him!"

"Got him!"

"It's not enough!"

"I'm coming!"

"Watch out, you guys! The house!"

In an explosion of glass and brick, three colored figures flew through the wall near where Naste and the reporter were sitting. "What the hell?" the reporter screamed again, standing, but still firmly clutching her pen and pad. A red figure flew through in, followed immediately by green and light blue ones. They all hit the far wall, and dropped into a multi-colored pile on the floor. The light blue one immediately stood, but the green one simply sat up and began looking over the red one, which hadn't moved.

"Naste!" The light blue one yelled, looking around the room. "Are you here?"

Naste paused for a moment. _Better not use his name… reporters…_ "Suiko!" Naste cried. "Is that you?"

"Naste!" Suiko cried in return. He spun around to face her but scowled when he caught sight of the news crew. Plates of shiny gray metal slid over his face, concealing everything except for his eyes and his mouth. "Korin!"

"Eh?" The green figure looked up.

"Mask! Now!" Suiko answered. In response, steely plates slid over Korin's face as he continued to check the red figure over. Suiko turned back to Naste and the reporter. "Naste! You need to get out of here now!" He motioned to the front door with the spear clutched firmly in his right hand.

Naste didn't recognize the armor that stood before her, but there was no doubt in her mind whose face hid behind the metal plates. The reporter suddenly grabbed her forearm and gave her a wide-eyed stare. "Yagyu-san! Do you know this… thing? Is this a Samurai Trooper?" She motioned to the armor-clad warrior and the man holding the camera turned the light onto Suiko. The light shone brightly, causing Suiko's left hand to come up to shade his eyes.

Suiko stepped foreword a bit. "First off, I am not a thing! I'm a person. Second of all, you're not going to be much of anything if you don't get out of here now!" He cried, waving his spear around again.

Naste pulled at the reporter's arm. "Ikimasho!(3)"

"Iie! This is newsworthy!" The woman answered, planting her feet.

"I'm telling you to get out of here! Suiko yelled. "Don't you-!" Before he could continue, long metallic-looking tentacles shot through the hole in the wall and coiled about Suiko's body. His arms, legs and neck were bound and he began to futily jerk his body left and right, trying to free himself, but the tentacles held tight.

"Suiko!" Naste was about to leap in to do whatever she could when Suiko yelled at her.

"Iie-o, Naste! Stay there! One touch of these things could kill you!" Naste stopped and looked on in mounting horror as his teeth gritted and a growl of pain issued from his throat.

"Suiko!" Korin jumped up to help, but two more tentacles flew into the room and slammed him against the wall, one tentacle piercing his armor and pressing into his shoulder. He grunted in pain but could do nothing as Suiko's growl turned into a full-throated yell.

Relief came in the form of a golden arrow. It landed in the center of the room, emitting a brilliant golden light. The tentacles seemed to squirm for a moment before releasing their captives and retreating back out the hole. Suiko dropped limply to the ground, his armor beginning to glow a soft blue color. Korin dropped to his knees, gripping his shoulder. His eyes widened as he looked up at Suiko. "Kongo! Get Suiko! His armor's retreating!"

In a flash of orange, Suiko was gone, being carried in Kongo's strong arms. Sakura blossoms floated to the ground in their wake. Kongo ran outside and launched himself onto the roof. He laid the wounded warrior on the shingles before swinging himself back onto the ground and landing in the side yard. In the yard stood a large creature, about seven feet in height. Kongo glared at it before rushing foreword, throwing his fists and feet at it, missing entirely, no matter how well he aimed. After a few tense minutes, the creature threw Kongo backward. The warrior did a flip in the air to land on his feet next to the house. The crew and Naste were emerging from the hole in the side of the house now.

Naste's eyes widened as she got a good look at the enemy. _Not... Arago!_ She calmed as she realized... it wasn't Arago. It certainly looked similar, but this creature was golden and black, rather than red and black. Where Arago had had large swords fanning behind his back, this monster has tentacles that swam around behind him. Kongo growled.

"You messed with the wrong guys, Octopus!" He raised his arms, intertwining his fingers, pulling his hands into a fist and slamming it into the earth. The earth shook and growled as a large fissure began opening up before Kongo's hands. It opened up beneath the enemy, ready to swallow him up. The creature didn't fall, however. He remained suspended in the air. He gave a chuckle before throwing a burst of energy at Kongo. The energy hit him square in the stomach, doubling him over as the enemy vanished. Kongo stood up straight, an armored hand resting on his middle. After a few tense seconds, satisfied that the enemy was gone, Kongo turned and a smile appeared on his lips. The only parts of his face that were visible were his shaded eyes and his mouth and chin. "Naste, long time no see."

"Hi, Kongo." Naste gave a nervous smile.

"Yagyu-san! Are these really the Samurai Troopers?" the reporter cried excitedly.

Naste gave the woman an odd look before turning back to the orange-clad creature. "Kongo, where'd you all get these new armors? You all look so different."

Kongo sighed heavily. "It's a long story." He looked at the news crew, which was staring intently at him, holding their breath to hear his "long story". He flicked his metal-covered hands at them. "Get lost."

"No way. I need at least one interview." she pushed, whipping out her notepad and pen.

"Not now!" The warrior in bark blue appeared between the reporter and Kongo. He folded a golden weapon up and snapped it onto his back. "We need to make sure the youja are all gone. We did leave home in a hurry."

"Sounds like a plan, Tenku!" Kongo agreed, giving thumbs up. Korin then exited the house through the hole in the wall, the one in red slung limply over his shoulder. Kongo paused, as he was about to jump into a tree. "How's Rekka?"

"He'll be alright." Korin answered. "I haven't gotten a chance to heal him yet, but I think he's got a few broken ribs."

"Should we leave him here?" Tenku inquired.

"Yes!" The reporter cried, knowing that if they left the wounded warrior there, she would probably be able to drag a few answers out of him.

"Iie, you shouldn't." Rekka answered hoarsely, fidgeting.

"You're awake!" Korin smiled and lowered the leader to the ground, allowing him to stand on his own. "How's your chest?"

"It hurts, but I'll live." Rekka sighed and bowed his head to Naste. "Hi, Naste-san."

Naste bowed respectfully. "Good to see you again, Rekka-san."

"Ah." Rekka's mouth became a thin line and he launched himself into a tree. "Let's go, guys!" The words were barely out of his mouth and the group had already taken off.

"Yagyu-san!" the reporter rounded on the college teacher. "I want the full story! How did you come to know the Samurai? Who are they?"

Naste sighed. How would she get herself out of this one?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Naste regarded the hole in the wall with reminiscent annoyance, but smiled and let out a deep respiration. "What am I going to do with those guys?" She cried to the empty house.

Indeed the news crew had finally left her. She had decided to tell them that the Samurai Troopers had saved her, on more than one occasion. In reality, that wasn't entirely false. She had just… omitted a few things. She not only knew them well, but they had saved her more times than she could count.

She headed upstairs to call a contractor when a weak voice called to her. "Naste?"

"Shin? Is that you?" She called back, recognizing the English-lilted voice immediately. "Where are you?"

"Roof." It stated simply.

Naste raced upstairs into her bedroom, where she pulled a flight of stairs from the ceiling. She ran into the attic before climbing out onto the roof through a small window. There, she saw the English man face down on the tiles. "Shin! Are you alright?"

"Ah… Where are the others?" he inquired immediately, attempting, and failing, to get up. Naste dashed to his side and pulled on his arm to help him to his feet.

"They went to check to see if there were anymore youja around. They said you guys left in a hurry. Left from where?" She pulled his arm over her shoulder to allow him to lean on her as they began their unsteady trek back into the house.

"We came here from the apartment complex we were staying in. We all came back to Shinjuku when youja attacked Ryo not far from his house in Sendai. We've been staying in a few small apartment buildings since we came back." He answered sleepily.

Naste smiled. "Well, no need to worry about those apartments anymore. You guys can stay with me again. It'll be just like the old days."

"Thank you for your offer, but we can't trouble you. This is a war after all." Shin gave a weak laugh.

Naste shook her head. "It is, but you would only trouble me if you didn't stay with me. You guys have a huge job to do, and I want to help in any way I can." Shin gave a grateful smile.

"You're sure you want to keep us around?"

"Of course! I'm dead serious. You guys have to stay here. We haven't talked in almost four years. You don't think I'm gonna let you guys get away that easily, do you?" Shin couldn't help but smile at her kindness. They made it carefully down the ladder, through Naste's room, and into the room that Shin and Shu had shared during their first war. Shin lay on his bed and gave a heavy sigh, allowing his eyelids to shut themselves. His body felt unbelievably heavy, and he could feel a burning in his chest that he did not wish to identify. Something was wrong. Takai had done something to him when he drained him. But what was it? He couldn't sense Takai anywhere around, so what was wrong? He had no more time to ponder this anomaly, when Naste's voice broke what little concentration he had. "Shin?"

"Ah?"

"Arago and the Empire were destroyed. Who was attacking you earlier today?"

Shin gave a weighted sigh. "His name is Takai. He's an Emporer from the Netherworld." His words held no enthusiasm or energy whatsoever. He was physicaly tired and mentally exhausted from fighting.

"Shin, the Empire was destroyed!" she repeated. "How can there be another Emporer?"

"Naste… Wakarimasu nai ka. The Empire and the Emporers of the Netherworld will never be destroyed. The work of the Samurai Troopers will never be done." His voice, this time, held a heavy tint of grief.

"What do you mean?" Naste wondered, sympathy and a small amount of fear growing in her throat.

"The Netherworld draws on the evil in the human spirit, correct?" Naste nodded. "Evil is a permanent part of human nature. We can never be rid of the evil in people." He paused. "It's difficult to explain. There are two realms other than that of the mortal realm. There is the Yami no Sekai (4), and the Hikari no Sekai (5). The Yami no Sekai is also known as the Netherworld. This is where Arago and all the youja dwell. The Hikari no Sekai is the polar opposite of the Yami no Sekai. The Hikari no Sekai is a world where all things good reign. This is where Kayura and the Sanmasho (6)live. Whenever someone does anything, as in a deed, a creature is created in one of these two worlds. If someone does a good deed, a diety is created in the Hikari no Sekai. But if someone does a bad deed, a demon is created in the Yami no Sekai. Emporers like Arago come into play simply by representing all the different evil deeds that have ever been done. There is a different Emporer for every evil notion and thought. In other words, there is an unlimited supply of emporers in the Yami no Sekai. Depending on what deed created them, the demons will serve different Emporers. For instance, Takai is the Emporer of Corruption. All the demons that have been created by deeds that have to do with corruption serve him." Shin cast his eyes to the ceiling. "Arago was the Emporer of Power lust. That's why he came to our world." Shin sighed and closed his eyes, his remaining energy spent.

"Why is Takai here, then? What's he after?"

"We're not sure. He might be out for revenge on us for killing Arago, but that doesn't make sense. At least not to me." His eyes remained closed, and he could feel his consciousness slipping away. He was about to go into a long and deep sleep. He knew that, but what scared him was what was going to happen while he was asleep. Not only in the outside world, but also, how would his mind react to this drain?

Naste sighed and smiled gently before leaning down and wrapping her arms around Shin's chest. "At any rate, it's good to have you back, Shin." When he didn't return her embrace, she looked up. Shin was already fast asleep. She sighed and pulled his shoes off before covering him with a blanket and fondly touching his hair. "Get some good sleep, my friend. You deserve it."

"Naste!" Called a familiar voice from outside. Naste smiled with anticipation and raced downstairs. She flung open the front door to greet the remaining four Troopers.

"Ah! Toma! Seiji! Shu! Ryo!" She cried, throwing her arms around Toma's neck. "It's so good to see you!"

"Ah, Naste. It's good to see you too. It's been a while." Seiji nodded as she also embraced him.

Ryo was leaning on Shu's shoulder as Naste embraced Shu. She then gently wrapped her arms around Ryo, remembering that Seiji had said that his ribs were broken. "Ryo, How do you feel?"

"I'm okay. Just my ribs." Ryo gingerly put a hand to his chest.

"Oh! I'll get some bandages, then!" Naste rushed upstairs and into the bathroom, shouting, "Make yourselves comfortable!"

Shu sat Ryo on the couch before plopping onto the floor. "Whew!"

Toma smiled. "Thank Kami for Naste, huh?"

"Ah." Seiji nodded, smiling as well. "She doesn't realize how much of a Trooper she is."

"Yeah. She's a lifesaver." Shu agreed.

"Why, because she has a fridge?" Toma snickered.

Shu snorted indignantly. "Partly."

Seiji laughed. "Arigitou (7), Shu. I needed that."

"Nani?" Shu cocked his head.

"I just needed a laugh." Seiji casually tossed his head a bit. "The human garbage disposal is good at that."

"Hey!" Shu cried. He huffed a bit and placed his elbow on his folded knew, resting his chin in his palm. "Flirt King." He breathed.

"None of that, now." Naste giggled, decending the steps with a first aid kit in her hands.

Shu growled and looked up at Ryo. "What's up, Ryo? Why so quiet?"

Ryo shrugged. "No reason. You're all just so entertaining. No need for me to break up the brotherly love." Shu shrugged as Naste sat down on the couch. "You really don't need to provide bandages, Naste. We really just came here to pick up Shin and head home." Naste ignored him and requested that he removed his shirt. He sighed and complied. "Really, Naste. We don't plan on troubling you again.

Naste sighed patiently. "Then stay here with me. I'd never forgive myself if I didn't offer you my services. After all, you guys save the world. The very least I can do to help is give you a nice place to stay."

"Are you sure, Naste? This war could prove to be far worse than the last time. We don't know what's going to happen." Toma informed her seriously.

Naste turned and winked at him. "No worries. I know what I'm getting myself into. I'm positive this is what I want to do."

Ryo smiled. "Domo arigitou, Naste."

Naste smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing, really." She began studying Ryo's chest, but Ryo's bones happened to be the last thing on Shu's mind.

"Naste?"

"Eh?" She grunted distractedly, examining Ryo's built chest, checking for bone deformities and such.

"When do we… uh… eat?" Shu was answered by a slap in the back of the head, courtesy of Seiji. "Oi… you…" Shu grumbled.

Naste held her index finger out to Shu, telling him to wait a moment. Her hands went to Ryo's sides and she began aplying pressure at different points. "Now, tell me when you feel any pain."

"OW!" Ryo screamed. "Right there." He said, a smile on his face, but his eyes watering.

"Gomen." Naste smiled weakly. "I'll start dinner soon, Shu." She began to apply her wrap. "I'm not the chef Shin is, but I'll do my best."

"Speaking of Shin, he's here, right?" Toma spoke up.

"Ah. However, one must wonder why you left him on the roof." Naste raised an eyebrow at Shu, who had left him there.

Shu shrugged. "Well, the reporters were around and taking him with us would have put him in danger during the battle. If we didn't put him somewhere out of sight, the reporter might try and question him. Maybe even expose him."

"I meant to ask you about that. I figured you'd want me to keep your names to myself, but why do it in the first place? You guys saved the world. Why should you have to hide like that?"

"Nah." Seiji waved his hand. "No point. It would only cause more trouble for us and more trouble for you. You know how people are with the supernatural. It's best to keep to ourselves."

"That's how it's always been, right from the first day we got the armors." Toma added.

"You mean your families don't even know?" Naste exclaimed.

Shu waved his hands around. "Especially not them!" Naste gave him a look. "Do you realize how badly they'd freak out if they knew? They'd be worried sick 24 hours a day!"

Naste sighed. _That's so lonely, though._ She finally shook her head and pointed up the staircase as she tied off Ryo's wrap. "You might want to go check on Shin, Seiji. He didn't look too good when I brought him down. He couldn't even walk on his own."

Seiji nodded. "Sure thing."

* * *

Kitty-chan: What yoo think? This is only the first of many days. It's gonna be a while before I can get the whole story up, but I'll try and stay consistant. Alright! First order of closing the chapter business, translations! 

1 gomen: Sorry  
2 Sumimansen: Excuse me (polite form)  
3 Ikimasho: Let's go  
4 Yami no Sekai: World of Darkness  
5 Hikari no Sekai: World of Light  
6 Sanmasho: Three Warlords (Referring to Naaza, Rajura, and Anubis)  
7 Arigitou: Thank you

Alright! Next is preview of next chapter! Here goes!

* * *

Shu's eyes widened. "Are you nuts? That's suicide!"

* * *

"Those knives give me a bad feeling! Don't let one touch you!"

* * *

"So... are they after Shin?"

* * *

Woo! Come back to read next chapter everyone! 


	2. Day Two: Repercussions

Kitty-chan: Two chapters in one day! WOOT! Actaully, I'm sick and have nothing better to do. Anyway, here's the second chapter. Hope ya like it! Oh! I don't own any of the Samurai Troopers. They are all characters belonging to Sunrise. :Lucky peoples: Anyways, enjoy and here are the name translations. Uh... I'm gonna put these at the beginning of each chapter so the people who aren't familiar with Samurai Troopers don't have to keep going back to the first chapters to get the names again.

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock

Enjoy!

* * *

Ryo slowly slid down the stairs, attempting to keep his movements from jarring his injuries. He entered the kitchen to see Seiji quietly sipping at a small cup of tea at the table while Naste kept Shu at bay with a steaming spatuala. The smell of fresh omlettes wafted in the air, mingling with the dewy small coming in through an open window above the sink. The light in the kitchen seemed almost blinding and a bit heavenly. Things were peaceful… for now. 

Naste's face brightened as Ryo entered. "Ohayo,(1) Ryo."

"Ohayo." Ryo offered a small smile and gingerly placed himself at the table across from Seiji. He looked at his friend, whose face was laden with concern. "Seiji? You alright?"

Seiji looked up as if just now noticing that Ryo was there. He stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Ah."

Ryo sighed. There was an awkward pause before Ryo began to speak. "So, did you find out what's wrong with Shin?"

Seiji shrugged. "I know there was an incredible power drain there, but I need to confirm something in a little bit. There's something more than just an energy drain going on here."

There was another long pause before Naste cleared her throat and addressed Ryo. "Omlette?" She offered, motioning to her sizzling frying pan.

Ryo smiled and was truly grateful for her offer, but he wasn't in the least bit hungry. "No thanks."

"Tea then?" she pushed, seemingly determined to serve him _something_.

"Alright. Thanks." He nodded.

"OK." Naste dashed over to the kettle, which still held tea from the pot Seiji had made and filled a mug before plaing it in front of Ryo. "Here." She suddenly whirrled around and shouted, "Shu no baka!"

Shu dashed, laughing from the kitchen and into the livingroom, a link of sausage between his fingers. Naste followed him as far as the kitchen doorway. "Why don't you do something constructive instead of terrorizing me, huh? Why don't you work on repairing that hole in the wall?" she cried, placing her hands on her hips. "Your armor can help, can't it?"

"Yeah, but I'll need Toma's wind yoroi(2) to help." Shu whined, sitting on the couch and munching on the spoils of his venture.

"Then go wake him up." Naste suggested, tossing her hip and waving the spatula.

Shu's eyes widened. "Are you nuts? That's suicide!"

"Whatever." Naste shrugged and began to walk back into the kitchen. "I'll give you an omlette if you wake Toma up. That fair enough?" she called over her shoulder. Shu grumbled as he heard Seiji and Ryo begin to chuckle from in the kitchen.

Shu considered his options, then, his eyes narrowed, he trudged upstairs.

Shu was about to enter the bedroom which Toma and Seiji shared when he paused to look at his own bedroom door across the hall. He sighed and headed into his own room, peering in at the sleeping Shin. _Gomen nasai, Shin. I should've been there to help you._ Shu furrowed his brow. There were some things about Takai that they would have to look into. He knew the metallic tentacles wielded by Takai were able to drain the energy of whatever they touched, but of what use were they to him? It's not like he could absorb Suiko's power, and then use it against them. So what was the point, anyway?

"Shu?" Shu turned to se Seiji. "Aren't you supposed to be waking Toma?"

Shu sweatdropped. "Uhh… yeah. I was just checking on Shin." He shrugged. "Is it a crime to be a bit worried?"

Seiji smiled gently and shook his head. "No. In fact I'm here to check on him, too. I need to confirm something before I actually give a diagnosis and an estimate on how long he'll take to heal."

Shu nodded. "Can you help him at all?"

Seiji shrugged. "I don't know. You know that the only wonds my armor can heal ar the physical type. If this turns out to be simply an energy drain, there's nothing I can do for him. But I'll do whatever I can."

Shu smiled and nodded again. "Arigitou, Seiji.

"Ryo? How are you feeling?" Naste inquired, finding the leader immersed in a copy of the American movie _I, Robot_. She doubted he could understand a word of the movie, considering he was watching the English copy her Grandfather had brought back to her on one of his trips to America, but it seemed interesting anyway.

Ryo looked up, smiling. "I feel fine, actually. Seiji says he can heal my ribs since it's a physical injury and all."

"Ah! That's good news." Naste smiled back and sat down next to him.

Seiji was seen on the steps as Toma and Shu's yelling erupted down the hall. He winced and smirked at Naste. "Just like old times, eh?"

"I guess so. Did you confirm what you needed to about Shin?" She inquired quickly. Ryo perked up to listen.

Seiji waited until after he had seated himself on Ryo's opposite side to speak. "Apparently, Takai held onto Shin for longer than we expected. His very life energy was nearly completely drained away yesterday. If it would've been completely drained, he would have died. I'm surprised that he was able to remain conscious long enough to get into bed."

"So, what can we do to help?" Ryo asked as Shu began decending the steps and the shower was heard down the hall.

"Currently, there's nothing any of us can do for him. I cannot heal him because his wounds are not physical. He simply needs rest. **Lots** of rest. He will probably be alsleep for days on end, and to be honest, that's exactly what he needs." Seiji motioned to Ryo and he removed his shirt. Seiji began to study the wraps.

"So, how long will he sleep, do you think?" Shu wondered, getting the gist of the conversation.

Seiji bobbed his head back and forth and began to remove Ryo's bandage. "The bare minimum would probably about two days. Most likely three or four. If he goes past five, worry." Seiji tossed the bandage aside and placed his hands on Ryo's chest, right where he could sense the broken bones.

"Don't overtax yourself, Seiji." Ryo warned.

"Don't worry." Seiji nodded and a green glow surrounded his body, soon transferring to Ryo's chest. Ryo grunted, then sighed and stood. He moved around a bit, enjoying his freedom of movement.

"Arigitou, Seiji." Ryo smiled.

"No problem."

Toma appeared on the steps. "Morning, everyone."

"You mean afternoon?" Shu laughed. "It's almost one."

Toma shrugged carelessly. "Whatever. Breakfast time."

"Oh yeah! Now you're talking my language!" Shu pumped his fist in the air before jabbing his right index finger at Naste. "You owe me an omlette!"

"Alright, alright, Shu." Naste shook her head and headed into the kitchen. She smiled at Shu's energy. He didn't seem to have changed much. He still seemed to be the overzealous hyperactive teen he had been during the first war. Of course, it could be her imagination. Perhaps she wished things to be like they were and so saw them that way. Then again, it could be this house. There was a nostolgic air about the whole area. She found herself, as she meandered about her business at home, having brief flashbacks of when something memorable or noteworthy ocurred at at some point during their second war with Arago. Yes, it could have been the house.

Ryo reclaimed his shirt, but paused in his procedure to the kitchen when he spotted the look on Seiji's face. "Seiji? What's up?"

Seiji growled. "Ryo… youja(3)!"

"Here?"

"Ah!"

Ryo dashed into the kitchen, followed closely by Seiji. "Shu! Toma! Youja!"

"Here?" Shu yelled, breaking away from hovering over Naste's frying pan.

In what seemed like an instant, the four warriors and Naste stood, battle ready, on the front porch. Ryo looked around, balling his armored fists. A long minute passed before Shu relaxed and stood up straight. "You sure they're here?"

"Ah. I can feel them." Seiji answered, nodding and sweeping the grounds with his eyes.

Naste jumped and yelped in surprise along with Ryo as the latter was tackled from behind by a black figure. He landed several feet away from Naste's porch, the assailant landing on his back. "Nani?" Ryo cried, attempting to turn enough to get a look at the creature on his back.

"Ryo!" Naste yelled, holding herself back from running into the fight to do what she could. _These are youja?_

The creature certainly didn't look like the ninjas they had met in their past experiences. The previous enemies had been large hulking masses of grayish armor. These were nothing of the sort. These creatures held all the characteristics of a stealth ninja. They were dressed head to toe in black. A hood, which covered the top of their heads, also had a strip of cloth covering what was supposed to be their nose and mouth. Though, Naste doubted they had such traits since the eyes were nothing more then empty glowing red circles. _These look like ninjas._ She reitereated.

Shu grabbed the back of the youja on Ryo and roughly threw it off and away to the right. Ryo lept to his feet to see that the ninjas had completely surrounded them. No one moved for a long time and Shu finally chuckled. "This looks promising, no?"

Toma smirked a bit. But his face turned instantly serious as he examined the small regiment of youja. _What's the point of all this? Takai knows we beat Arago… so why did he send an army this small to fight us. It seems like a waste of energy to do this. He should know it would take much more than this to take us down._ He paused and raised an eyebrow as the ninja directly before him produced a small dagger from its black belt._ What the…?_ The knife seemed to glow with a black light. There were waves of powerful dark energy flooding from the blade and seemed to sink to the ground like steam from dry ice. The dark energy would crawl for a few inches once it hit the ground, but then vanish. _That can't be good._ "Minna! Those knives give me a bad feeling! Don't let one touch you!"

"Ah, Toma." Seiji called in agreement, never taking his eyes from the enemy in front of him. "There's something… very wrong… about-!" A youja rushed at him, causing him to cut himself off. The enemy wielded a dark dagger aimed directly for his heart, but Seiji quickly spun around to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick to it's head. The youja dropped to the ground and lay still for a moment before bursting into a flurry of black smoke.

At that first charge, five more youja rushed foreward, all five attempting to hit the Samurai with one of the knives. The battle was a thing to behold for Naste, who stood, waiting on the porch. She didn't have too many opportunities to see the Samurai Troopers engaged in a real battle, but now, she was watching a truly difficult fight. The new enemies were much faster and much more deadly than those of Arago. They moved in the shadows, disappearing for a few seconds, then striking when the Samurai Trooper was foolish enough to let down his guard. The battle only lasted about ten minutes when a loud cry rose above the noise of the fight.

"Busso… Kongo(4)!" The earth shuddered and roared as its master donned his armor. A flash of orange blinded Naste and all the Samurai for a moment. When the light dimmed, everyone looked at Shu, fully decked out in his armor of the stone. Shu smirked confidently. "If anyone wishes to leave now, I'll understand."

All the ninjas remained totally and completely motionless while three colored figures lept from the area and landed on the porch near Naste. Naste raised an eyebrow. "Ryo, Toma, Seiji, what are you doing? You're deserting Shu?"

Ryo laughed and shook his head. "No, we're staying out of his way."

As soon as this was said, Naste noted, it seemed like a good idea. As Shu raised his fists up into the air, the earth prepared to respond. It began to shake and roar, increasing in volume as Shu threw his fists down at the ground. As earlier, with Takai, the earth opened up to swallow every single youja. As soon as he had replaced the earth to its original state, his armor burst into orange blossoms and fluttered about his feet as he headed over to the porch, smiling proudly.

Naste grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "Great, Shu!"

"Arigitou!" Shu cried, holding his hands up in a not-so-modest way.

Seiji shrugged and waved his hand carelessly. "I'd give it a seven." He smiled at Shu's confused face. "Not very classy."

Shu rolled his eyes then turned once again to Naste. "Naste, can we eat, please?"

"Matte(5), Shu." Ryo called, holding up his index finger.

"Why?" Shu whined, putting a hand to his gut. "Saving your butts makes me hungry!" Seiji whapped him on the head.

"We need to figure out what that attack was all about." Toma answered for him. He began to look suspisciously around. "That attack was strange."

Shu raised and eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips. "What was strange about it?"

Seiji rolled his eyes. "There's more to battles than fighting and winning, Shu." He crossed his arms and snorted a bit. "What were they after? That many youja… Takai knows we're tougher than that. So why'd he send so few?"

Shu sighed and submitted. "Fine. So what do we do about it?"

"Look around the yard for a bit to see if they left any types of clues leading to an ulterior motive. Naste, you look in the house and call me if you find anything strange." Naste commanded. The five spread out to their assigned tasks. Seiji and Toma began to search around the lake while Ryo headed for the front yard and Shu began examining the former battleground. Shu ran his eyes along the ground, admiring his handiwork of completely concealing the crack in the ground where he had created his fissure weapon. But, something caught his eye, gleaming in the sunlight.

"Nani?" Shu squatted down on his haunches to examine the dark object. He immediately backed up. One of the youja's knives had escaped his earthy entombment. _It probably came from the Youja that attacked Seiji first. He kicked it and it must've dropped its knife._ "Minna(6)!" he called into the sky. A few minutes passed, but soon all four Samurai were crowded around the knife. "Here's a clue for ya." Shu commented proudly.

Seiji gave a low rumble, then stooped to pick it up, but the minute the hilt touched his fingertips, he screamed and jumped back, holding his hand. "What the…!"

"Seiji, you alright?" Ryo inquired, stepping foreward.

"Ah. Just… don't touch that thing." Seiji bobbed his head at the weapon.

"Let me see your hand, Seiji." Toma offered, holding his own hand out. Seiji uncovered his fingers and allowed Toma to look them over. Toma's eyes narrowed. "They look like they've been burned by fire." He pointed out.

"What is in those knives that makes them so potent?" Seiji asked to no one in particular.

"Ryo-tachi(7)!" They heard Naste's voice calling from in the house.

Ryo, followed closely by the others, raced upstairs and into Shin's room. Naste stood over by Shin's bed holding a large rock. The window facing the back yard had been shattered, and many things in the room had been uprooted and flung in different directions. Seiji wandered over to the window while Shu ran to his childhood friend's side.

"Naste, is Shin alright?" He demanded, staring at his sleeping face.

"Ah. I don't think he even knows what happened. He doesn't have any physical wounds of any kind, luckily. But I found this rock right over here." She pointed to the pillow next to Shin's head. "Judging by the way the glass fell, I think they were aiming for him."

"Whoever threw the rock that is. But what would someone want with Shin?" Shu growled.

"I think our mystery rock-thrower was a youja." Seiji commented, plucking a piece of black cloth from the broken window.

"Really?" Naste inquired.

"Ah. There's no blood over here, and this piece of cloth is big enough that if it was ripped by the window, it would've broken the skin of a human." Seiji explained.

"So, the attack out there was a diversion for us. They were trying to do something in here without our knowledge." Toma realized.

"So… they're after Shin?" Ryo inquired quietly.

Silence filled the room.

* * *

Kitty-chan: Hey y'all. There's the second chapter! I hope you liked it! Review!

First order of business... translation.

1 Ohayo: Good morning  
2 yoroi: armor  
3 youja: demons; netherspirits  
4 Busso... Kongo: Armor of ... the Stone  
5 Matte: wait  
6 Minna: Everyone  
7 Ryo-tachi: Ryo and everyone (calling Ryo and everyone with him)

That's that... now the short preview!

* * *

_The Empire will never be destroyed. The work of the Samurai Troopers will never be done._

* * *

"Gomen Nasai, minna. You were exposed because that reporter was interviewing me." Naste sighed sadly.

* * *

There's really not many things I can write that won't give away the purpose of the next chapter, so you'll have to wait until later. See ya! Rvview! 


	3. Day Three: Yoroi no Curse

Kitty-chan: Wow! I'm really moving with this stroy! Woo! Pretty fun! I know things are moving pretty slowly, but things will start to speed up in the next chapter. I know... I hate parts where there's nothing but plot and character development too... they're really a drag to write. But, here's the last of the plot and character development only chapters! Hope you like it! Oh, one thing... I know that it might seem really a long chapter to read, but it is vital to the storyline, so if you want to understand the story to the end, you need this chappy. I'm sorry! TT. Anyway, I dun own Samurai Troopers... blah blah... copyright of Sunrise... yeah yeah. Anyway! Name translations real fast!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock

Enjoy! The stuffwith () next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

_

* * *

_

_Shin's running a fever._ Naste noted to herself as she decended the steps into the livingroom. _I hope the others can find out what Takai wants with him soon. If he actually wants him at all._

Naste stopped at the bottom of the stairs and gave a gentle smile. The four Troopers were spread out all over the livingroom, enjoying a common nap. Seiji sat in an armchair, arms crossed and head bowed foreward. It seemed so like him to sleep in this manner. His graceful dignity was displayed even then. Toma was slouched back on a couch, his head tipped up to face the ceiling, and his elbows resting on the top of the couch. Shu lay on the floor on his back, his arms and legs spread slightly, snoring quietly. Ryo lay on his side on the love seat, his feet hanging over the arm, and his own arm hanging over the side to dangle just above the floor.

_Normal._ She found herself thinking. Her own knowledge of their armors normally eliminated any chances of allowing her mind to visualize them as normal boys, but right then, as she looked at then, they looked so…_ normal. They eat, they sleep, they laugh, they cry…they are more normal than anyone would give them credit for. The fact that they are so normal should be painfully obvious because I live with them. Yet, I never seem to comprehend it._ Because what they carried made them so far from average, it was not difficult to forget that they were human being born from human parents.

_The Empire and the Emporers of the Netherworld will never be destroyed. The work of the Samurai Troopers will never be done._

Naste's face drooped as Shin's words from a few days ago came to mind. _Will they really be Troopers until they die? Will the Netherworld constantly come after them? How can they live like that? The armors have been such a burden for the few years they've been weilding them already. How are they going to survive if they have to do this all their lives?_

Ryo suddenly sucked in a deep breath and sat up, pushing his arms above his head and yawning. He sighed and blinked drowsily about the room a few times before spotting Naste. He cocked his head slightly when she stared back at him, a concerned expression on her face. "Naste? Something wrong?"

Naste managed to smile and shake her head. "No, Ryo."

Ryo gave her a look, then shrugged it off, standing and stretching his legs. "How's Shin?" He wondered, seeing the bowl of water and rag in her hands.

Naste shook her head again. "He's running a pretty high fever. The draining obvioualy did a number on his immune system. He'll apparently be okay, but he's really sick."

"Oh." Ryo reclaimed his seat and sighed. Naste stared at him for a long moment before setting her bowl and rag down and heading to sit next to him. Ryo stared at her, concern written all over his face. "Naste, are you sure there's nothing you want to say?"

"Ryo… I'm… not quite sure I understand the whole relationship between the armors, the netherworld, and you guys. Do you think you can explain it to me?"

"Sure. What do you want to know?"

Naste paused for a moment, searching for her first question. "Shin and I were talking about who Takai is, but I still don't wuite understand the whole idea of the netherworld. Shin said that there is an unlimited number of Empires and Emporers. Is that true/" Ryo nodded, not making eye contact, but casting his gaze to the carpet. "Then how are you five expected to fight all of them off?"

"We're not." Ryo stated simply.

"Huh? Then who else is helping you?"

"No one in this world. There are only five Trooper armors, after all." Ryo almost laughed.

"Well, then… how are you supposed to deal with all the Empires and Emporers?"

"Well, first off, I had a little talk with Kayura and she gave be a brief history, by the way." Naste smiled and Ryo continued. "Second, the Emporers usually have enough fun wreaking havoc in the Netherworld. They have no reason to come to earth, where they would be destroying the things that give them power; humans. And even if some do become stupid enough to attmept to come after earth, Kayura and the Sanmasho will take care of them. But even they can't stop everyone." Ryo paused for a breath. "Arago was the Emporer of power lust, so he wasn't satisfied with conquering even the whole of the Netherworld. He wanted earth, too. And, since the San Masho were actually working with him, there was no one to stop him from doing so. He thought that he would get more power if he came to earth and actually controlled the humans which feed him."

"Well, what about Takai? Why's he here?"

"Arago was the Emporer of power lust and Takai is the Emporer of Corruption. Power lust and corruption are closely interwoven. Takai, I'm guessing, came to get revenge on us for wiping out one of his allies." Ryo shrugged. "Dunno."

"Really?" Naste sighed. "So… with so many emporers, do you ever expect to live normally?"

Ryo's face saddened considerably. "No."

"Is there something you can do to get rid of the armors?" She urged.

Ryo shook his head. "Rekka no Yoroi(1) is bonded to my soul. I can't part with it until I die. My death will coincide with Rekka's. And besides," Ryo looked her square in the eye. "No matter how much I want to get rid of it, I have an obligation to keep it."

"Why? Why should you spend your whole life fighting for a world that will never know who you are?" Naste cried.

"Because, Naste." Ryo sighed again. "It's a job that someone has to do, and why shouldn't it be me? I have no family. I am unattatched to any other obligations in life. So, technically, I'm a good person for the job."

"But you're still a human being." Naste looked down.

Ryo shrugged. "Yeah, but if you think about it, it should be that way. People create the problem by giving into the evil in their hearts. If human beings create the problem, shouldn't human beings fix the problem?" He smiled and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "But I want you to know this. Your concern does not go unnoticed. It helps us deal with the war just by having you around." Naste looked up and smiled gently in return. She looked at his own smile and could see behind it a sadness that premeated all five Samurai Troopers. There was a sadness, a sacrifical air about all of them. It was nothing that their countanances conveyed, of course. In fact, she thought the way they made themselves appear was the thing keeping them as they were. But the sadness was there, subtle and heavy. Naste frowned and placed her own hand over Ryo's.

"Thank you, Ryo." She closed her eyes and savored the feeling of his hand upon her shoulder.

"Naste?" Ryo voiced, noticing her dazed expression.

It was in this moment that Shu rolled over in his sleep, laying his weight on the remote for the tv. The news began blasting from the tv, turned up extremely high. The outburst caused Seiji, Toma and Shu to be jerked roughly from their slumber and look with bleary eyes at the screen, as well as draw a yelp from Naste. "Turn it down!" Ryo yelled over the noise of the tv, pressing his palms to his ears.

Shu sleepily fumbled with the remote for a few minutes before finally slamming his finger down on the volume control. Eventually, the volume decreased to a tolerable level. The five heaved a shared sigh of relief. "Gomen, guys." Shu smiled and sweatdropped, scratching the back of his head.

"Why was the tv up so loud?" Seiji inquired of no one in particular, sticking his pinki into his ear and wiggling it, hoping to get his ears to stop ringing.

Naste shrugged. "Weren't you guys watching a movie last night?"

Toma shrugged. "Oh. I didn't realize we had left the volume so high."

Naste shook her head, smiling, but then did a double-take as her eyes caught the news on the television. "Guys! Look at the tv!" All their eyes glued themselves to the screen.

Two women sat in chairs in Naste's house, conversing quietly. "Where are they coming from?" asked the woman on the left.

"It seems to be coming from outside." Naste, the woman on the right, answered

Suddenly, the wall to the upper left of the two women exploded in a flurry of bricks, plaster, and glass, allowing three colored figures entrance to the room. The woman on the left stood, shouting, "What the hell?"

"Guys!" Naste exclaimed, standing. "That's what happened when you guys first got here a few days ago!"

The screen shifted to a man sitting across from a female reporter, obviously the woman oposite Naste in the clip. "Wow. So… you were interviewing Yagyu-san on this very topic, weren't you?"

"Well, I had actually gone for an interview on her new job at Reikishii University, but when we began to talk about the start of her career, she spoke on the first legend she ever heard about, which was the legend of the Samurai Troopers."

"Really? So, do you believe that the creatures you encountered were the Samurai Troopers?" The interviewer leaned his chin on his palm, placing his elbow on the arm of his chair.

The reporter paused, considering her words carefully before voicing her opinion. "I won't go so far as saying that they were, in fact, the Samurai Troopers, but they were deffinately something special. They did match Yagyu-san's description of the Troopers."

"Do you think the creatures you saw were robots… or human… or what? What do you think they were?"

The woman shrugged a bit. "I couldn't really say, but I'd have to say they look like robots. But their voices were very much human. Plus, they had eyes and mouths. They looked mechanical, but they acted human."

Shu turned the tv off and plopped the controler onto the floor. "This is perfect, eh?"

"Gomen nasai, minna. You were exposed because that reporter was interviewing me." Naste sighed sadly.

"Iie, Naste!" Ryo cried, grabbing her shoulder again. "You did nothing to provoke this. You cannot blame yourself.

"Ah. If anyone deserves the blame, it's Takai himself." Seiji pointed out wisely.

"In fact, we should be apologizing." Toma added. "We've dragged you into yet another war with the netherworld."

"No, Toma. I want to help. I am your friend, and I can't sit by and watch you do this on your own. Besides," she stuck her tongue out playfully. "I'm the one with the fridge."

Shu's face brightened. "Ccan't live without one of those!"

"Well, at least you can't." Seiji shrugged. Shu sent him a light glare.

"So, what's the call, Ryo?" Toma inquired, shifting the room's attention back on the black-haired man.

Ryo closed his eyes and sighed. "Well…" He then reopened his eyes and fixated them on a spot on the opposite wall. "So far, all Takai has done is come after us a few times. Though he plays out some interesting strategies, he doesn't seem interested in harming anyone in the city. So if we stay away from the general people and the press, we should be alright. I suggest we lay low and wait for this to take a few more steps foreward. However, Naste… I would prefer it if you didn't leave the property."

"Why?" Naste cocked her head.

"Ryo turned to look at her, finally taking his eyes from his spot on the wall. "With all the publicity you're getting over us, if you went out in public, you could get swamped by the people or the media. No one knows us yet, so we can run any errands you may have."

"What about my classes? I have to teach tomorrow."

Ryo paused. "Your call then."

Naste sighed, considering her options. She finally set her shoulders and nodded. "I can't let the press get to me." She looked around at her friends. "Will you guys be able to keep the house in one piece while I work.?"

"Shouldn't be a problem, as long as Ryo and Toma stay out of the kitchen." Shu motioned to the two as they gave him some minor glares.

"Sure you'll all be alright? I have to leave here at 6:45 tomorrow morning to get there by 7:00. So you're on your own for breakfast. What will you do?"

Shu wagged a finger at her. "Naste, you disappoint me." Naste blinked. "Have your forgotten that my family owns a chain of restaraunts? You don't think I've learned nothing about cooking, do you?"

"Alright, so you're set for meals, but what if… you need something that we don't have at the house?" Ryo chuckled. He noticed that Naste was beginning to act like a mother, panicking over leaving her kids home for the first time.

Seiji laughed also. "You know how fast we run. We can get to the store and back faster than any car could get us."

Naste looked to the ground again. "You're sure you'll be alright?"

"Ah, Naste." Ryo gave her a smile, which she returned after a short pause.

* * *

Kitty-chan: Movin' right along. Review! Oh! Translations! Just one this time.

1 Rekka no Yoroi: Armor of Wildfire

And now, preview.

* * *

"Are you drunk?"

* * *

"He is not our target, Lai. I just want to see him writhe in agony for now."

* * *

"What is it, Shin?"  
"Shu... Takai no boku!"

* * *

Yay! I can't wait for y'all to read the next chapter! Stay tuned and Review! 


	4. Day Four: Sleeping Water Lord

Kitty-chan: Dang! I don't think I've ever gone this fast on a story before! Okay, things are starting to speed up, but things will really be moving in the next two chapters (plotline-wise, anyway). This one, I think, is a bit longer than the last two and they just keep getting bigger. lol. Anyway, enjoy! Oh! Yeah! I dun own Samurai Troopers, they're copyright of Sunrise inc. The only characters in this story I own are Takai, Lai and Kuri, whom you will soon meet. Alright! Lastly, Name Translations!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock

Enjoy! The stuffwith () next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

Seiji yawned and squinted in the bright light of the kitchen. He headed over and put a kettle of tea on as his lavender eye caught a note one the table. "Eh?" He picked it up and began to read the hastily scribbled message. 

_Ryo-tachi,_

_I'll be home around 7:00 tonight. If you need anything, call me on my cell. Love ya!_

_Yagyu Naste_

The Samurai smiled and started the coffee-maker for when Toma came down. As soon as that was started, he settled into a seat of the kitchen table and began to peruse the paper, waiting for the kettle to finish his tea.

"Ohayo, Seiji." Ryo yawned, entering and plopping into a chair at the table.

"Ohayo." Seiji greeted, standing and walking over to hover by the tea kettle. "Tea?" he offered, pointing at the kettle.

Ryo nodded and layed his head down, cushioning it on his arms. As soon as the kettle whistled, Seiji poured out two cups for himself and Ryo before placing them on the table. Ryo sipped quietly and Seiji continued to read through the paper. For a long while there was quiet in the kitchen, broken only by the crackle of the coffee-maker.

THUD!

Ryo and Seiji turned to look at the doorway of the kitchen, and nearly fell out of their seats. Toma stood in the doorway, looking around as if he had never seen the kitchen before. "Toma!" Seiji cried, nearly dropping his mug. "What are you doing up before noon, without having someone drag you out of bed, I might add?"

Toma shook his head a bit and sent a confused look at Seiji. He then muttered a few uncomprehensible things under his breath and continued to look around. Ryo blinked a few times. "Excuse me?"

"Ania." Toma stated seriously. "Where's Ania?"

"Isn't Ania his mother's name?" Ryo whispered to Seiji.

Seiji shrugged and stood. "Are you drunk?"

"He sounds like it, but Naste doesn't drink. Where'd he get the sake, or whatever?" Ryo looked around.

"Dihydrogen oxide and… pixie stix." Toma mumbled.

"Water and pixie stix? What's wrong with you?" Seiji walked up and put a hand on Toma's shoulder.

Toma roughly slapped Seiji away. "My pixie stix!" he cried defensively.

"Dude, you don't have any pixie stix." Ryo nearly giggled. What on earth had Toma gotten high on?

"Yeah, I do." Toma answered, looking at his hands.

_I don't smell and alcohol or drugs on his breath. What the heck has posessed him? _Seiji's mind cried.

"Hey, what's all the… commotion? What's going on?" He froze as he caught sight of Toma. "What's he doing up?"

"We dunno. That's what we're trying to find out. We think he's drunk." Seiji informed him.

Shu raised and eyebrow. "Are you serious? Toma doesn't drink!"

Toma motioned to Shu. "That old guy sold them to me." Shu nearly fell down the stairs laughing as he acessed the situation. Seiji cocked his head. Toma suddely grabbed Seiji's shoulders and began to roughly shake him back and forth. "You helping me." He slurred.

"What the hell, Shu!" Seiji cried. He could tell that Shu was trying to say something, but he was laughing hard enough that no comprehensible words could be made out.

"My pixie stix… must find. You helping me." Toma continued to shake his victim. Seiji was starting to get a headache.

"Seiji!" Shu managed at last.

"What the hell, Shu!" Seiji repeated annoyedly.

"Toma's a sleepwalker!" Shu cried, pointing at the blue-haired warrior.

"He's asleep? But his eyes are wide open!" Seiji managed to point out from moving back and forth in front of Toma's face.

"Doesn't matter. Toma's dead asleep. Believe me, my older sister sleepwalks and sleeptalks."

"Well, what do we do about it?" Ryo asked, cocking his head at Toma.

"Well, we could leave him asleep for a while and have some fun, or we could wake him up." Shu shrugged and gave a mischiefous grin. "I think we should let the tired boy sleep."

Seiji looked back at Toma for a brief moment before slapping him across the face. "No thanks. This is creepy enough."

Toma released him, and jerked his head back front to glare at him. "Seiji! What the… wait… where am I?"

"In the kitchen, Toma."Seiji sighed , exhasperated.

"Eh? How'd I get down here?" Toma demanded, looking around."

"You walked." Ryo answered plainly.

"But you could say that you weren't exactly yourself." Shu chuckled loudly.

"Eh? I don't understand this." Toma gave Seiji a thoroughly confused look.

Seiji waved him off. "Nevermind. Coffee?"

Toma blinked a few times before nodding. "Ah. Thanks."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Was your mission on Saturday successful, Lai?"

"Ho(1)!"

"Good. So the warrior has felt the carress of the blades?"

"Ho!"

"Excellent work, Lai."

"Thank you, my Master." Lai answered, bowing deeply. The Master sat on a large throne in a long hall, while his servant bowed before him on the carpet. This ninja seemed different from the others. He was not dressed in pure black, but rather he sported quite a dark brown with red ties about his waist and head. His long brown hair was held back in a high ponytail and stuck out from the dark brown hood that covered the rest of his head. "How shall we move ahead toward our goal, now?"

"Patience, Lai. The wounded Samurai will serve us well for now. As for the moment, I just want to make Rekka no Ryo suffer."

"So… Rekka no Ryo is our next target? But… Master… you said that he was going to be-!"

"Silence!" The master bellowed. "He is notour target, Lai. I just want to see him writhe in agony for now. Plus, this would be a good chance to test out my new weapon."

"The new weapon? Isn't it a bit early? It's risky." Lai questioned, though he dared not meet his master's gaze.

"Maybe so, but it'll test and see if the blade did it's job." The master rubbed his chin in thought before shouting, "Kuri!" A creature almost identicle to Lai appeared, the only different between the two being the fact that the new creature was female.

"Ho!" She cried, getting on one knee and resting her hand on her bosom.

"Show Lai our plan for today."

"Ho!" The girl stood and took Lai's arm, leading him away.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"This is really good, Shu. Where'd you learn to make this?" Ryo inquired, scooping rice into his mouth.

Shu shrugged. "My dad taught it to me. The miso is what my parents serve at their restaurant, the rice isn't any different then normal, and the Hash browns are actually an American dish I love."

"It's nice." Seiji complimented, taking a sip of his tea.

"Arigitou." Shu smiled and stood as soon as his plate was free of food. He rinsed his dishes then pulled a large bowl from the cabinet.

"Shu? What are you doing?" Toma inquired around a mouthful of hash browns.

"I'm gonna go check on Shin." He filled the bowl with water anf grabbed a rag before disappearing up the stairs.

Silence followed Shu's exit. Finally, Toma spoke, resting his chin on his intertwined fingers. "Seiji, you said you checked on Shin again last night before you went to bed?"

"Ah."

"Sense anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing, really. I mean, nothing that the human mind couldn't produce on its own. But he's coming around. He'll wake up soon." Seiji answered, not making eye contact.

Toma bent over to see Seiji's downturned face. "What's the matter?"

"Just… he's having a lot of nightmares. And unusually high amount, to be honest. They've created a black shroud around his mind and are keeping him asleep longer than his body needs. In his current state, I'm worried about what the long term effects could have on him." He answered slowly.

"Will he be alright?" Ryo inquired immediately.

"Yeah. I think he'll be fine. It might just be a different recovery process than we would expect." Seiji sighed before getting up to pour himself more tea.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shu entered his room and looked to his friend's bed. "Shin!"

The bearer of Suiko was writhing around, clutching agonizingly at the sheets. He moaned, rolling back and forth, then grunting before beginning again. Shu rushed over and set the bowl by his friend's side, pulling the soaked cloth from it and dabbing at Shin's forehead. He then paused as Shin began to mutter something. "What's wrong, Shin?"

"Shu!" Shin cried, his eyes beginning to water. Shu placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What, my friend? What is it?"

"Shu!" He was yelling now.

"What, Shin? I'm here!"

"Takai no…"

"What is it, Shin?"

"Shu… Takai no boku(2)!"

Shu paused as Shin continued to yell and toss and turn fitfully in his sleep. "What? I don't understand, Shin. What do you mean?" Shu urged, though he knew Shin couldn't answer his question.

"Shu!" screamed a voice from outside.

"Ryo." Shu looked at Shin before dashing to the newly fixed window. "Oh crap!" he cried, spotting the youja that littered Naste's backyard. They had completely surrounded the battle-ready Toma, Seiji, and Ryo. He took a backward glance at Shin as he opened the window. "I'm sorry, Shin. I'll be back."

"Shu… Takai no boku." Shin called with less force. Shu dropped out the window, his clothes melting into his undergear.

"You know, this is really getting' old." Shu exclaimed as he landed next to Toma. "You'd think Takai would give this idea a rest."

"No, Shu. It's not the same." Seiji shook his blonde head. "It's not the same. I can't sense those knives. They're trying something different!"

"Eh?"

Before any more could be said, the youja raced in on them, attacking from all sides. "This isn't good!" Toma cried, trying to fend off three ninjas at once. The five were each trying to fend off too many youja, since they had attcked from every side imaginable, and so Ryo sent up the call.

"Samurai Troopers! To arms!" He held his hands out and began the transformations. "Busso… Rekka(3)!"

"Busso… Tenku(4)!"

"Busso… Korin(5)!"

"Busso… Kongo!"

The transformations exploded into four colored lights, and the armors responed to their masters. When the lights dimmed, the Troopers that the youja had used the split second transformation time to disappear into the woods. The boys somewhat felt foolish, standing in the center of an empty yard fully armored for an attack. Finally, Shu spoke quietly. "Uhhh… where'd they go?"

Suddenly the circle of black enemies surrounded them again, this time, flaming branches clutched in each gloved hand. They waved them around, attempting to intimidate the Samurai, but Ryo raised an eyebrow, allowing a confident smirk to creep onto his face. "Who do you think you're dealing with, here?"

The youja scattered, running about the yard and circles, dragging the flames along the ground, igniting the grass and the bushes at the edge of the forest. The enemies closed in, bringing the flames with them. The Troopers were forced into a small circle, back to back. Toma looked around to find that the youja had already retreated. He raised an eyebrow. "They came here to ruin Naste's lawn?"

"Nevermind their motive right now, Toma! We have to put out that fire! The house and the forest could go up in smoke!"Seiji pinted out. "Can you conjure a storm or something?"

"I can't control it like that! It could get out of hand and make it worse. Besides, I can't conjure a storm without an incredible amount of wind. That would make it bigger!" Toma shook his head.

"Ryo grunted and sheathed his katanas. "Fine. I'll absorb it." The Rekka armor began to glow intensely and slowly the fire began to retreat. As more time passed, the armor glowed more and more intensely as the grass and bushes were purged of the fire, charred, but still alive. As soon as the fire was gone, six eyes turned to look at Ryo, who was panting heavily, his body shaking, and fire dancing in his eyes.

"Woo! I'm never letting _you_ in the kitchen again." Shu joked, waving his hand. He then paused at the way his body was shaking. "Ryo… dude, you gonna explode or something?"

"No…" Ryo grunted. "I've got too much power… my armor will overload and backfire if I don't release some of it."

"Could you let out an attack on the lake?" Toma suggested.

"Minna…" Seiji suddenly said warningly.

"What, Seiji?" Toma turned his eyes to where Seiji was staring. The water of the lake was floating above the crater in which it usually sat, held in a circle and rippling like some giant water balloon. It hovered for a moment before rushing foreward into their midst.

"What the hell?" Shu cried watching the water surge at them. It was far too large to avoid, so he planted his feet. "Can Takai control the elements, too? Because other than that, only Suiko can do that!"

"Ryo!" Seiji cried as the water dodged himself, Shu and Toma to slamm down on Ryo. Ryo screamed in agony as the power of his gathered fire was roughly and painfully ripped from his body, doused by the water. Once the water had completed its task of soaking Ryo, it retreated to once again sit in the lake, calm as if it had done nothing.

"Ryo! Are you alright? Can you hear me?" Toma asked, running over to kneel by Ryo's still form.

"Eh?" Ryo moaned and managed to open his eyes. "What happened?"

"The lake attacked you." Toma stated bluntly. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He grunted a bit. "But I can't move." Ryo sighed, his armor bursting into red blossoms and dropping him to lie on the ground. Shu quickly ran over and scooped Ryo into his arms as Seiji made a quick diagnosis.

"The shock of having that power pulled from your body just creeped your mind out. You won't be able to move for a while, but you should be fine by tomorrow."

The four retired to the house where Shu quickly deposited Ryo on the couch and then disappeared up the stairs. _There's only one person on this earth who could've manipulated the water like that!_ "Shin!" Shu charged into his own room and his dark blue gaze fell on an empty bed. "Shin?" He looked around, but the warrior was nowhere to be found. Finally, he rounded the bed to find Shin fast asleep on the floor, the blankets coiled about his body. "Whew!" Shu sighed and hauled Shin back into bed, spreading the blankets over him. _That was a nightmare he was having. He must've writhed his way off the bed._ A cold draft hit his body as his undergear shifted back to his jeans and black t-shirt. He turned around to look at the open window and he rushed to close it. "Jeez. I forgot to close the window on my way out. As if I need to expose Shin to anymore than he already has." He quickly shut the window then headed out. His fingers had bearly touched the doorknob when a quiet and weak voice caused him to stop and turn.

"Shu?"

The boy turned to see Shin's eyes slowly open and focus on him. "Shin!" Shu raced over and helped the Water Lord into a sitting position. "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"Ah." Shin blinked and shook his head. In fact, he knew he wasn't alright. He knew there was still something wrong. Something that was coming at them soon. But he couldn't identify it in his current state of mind. He simply looked around the room. "What's going on?"

"You've been asleep for three days!" Shu exclaimed. "Do you remember talking to Naste?"

"Uh…" Shin paused and after a few seconds, his face brightened a bit. "Ah. I remember. The battle with Takai… and he drained me, and then coming in here to talk with Naste, and then… nothing." _No… there was a dream. A nightmare of sorts. What happened? I can't remember, but it was important. What happened? And what's going to happen? Those nightmares weren't normal. I don't remember them, but I know they were not normal._

"Good." Shu smiled. "You need anything?"

The nightmares momentarily forgotten, Shin nodded. "I need to get out of this bed, for one. I'm starving, and my legs are asleep. Actually, a bit past that. I think they're dead."

Shu chuckled. "You've been lying still for a while. I guess that's expected. But, I can cook you a big meal if you want."

"What is this, role-reversal?" Shin laughed.

Shu shrugged. "I guess so." He slung Shin's arm over his shoulder and pulled him out of bed. Bearing most of the thin man's meager weight, they made their way down the steps and into the livingroom, where Seiji and Toma were checking over the unconscious Ryo. Their faces brightened visibly when Shu and Shin appeared.

"Shin!" Toma cried. "How are you?"

"Hungry." Shin smiled weakly, but his face turned grave when he caught sight of Ryo. "Hey! What happened?"

Seiji sighed and stood. "Ther was ana ttck about ten minutes ago. They powered Ryo up, then poured all the water of the lake onto him."

"How'd they do that?" Shin demanded, slightly offended at his elements actions.

"We don't know. We can't really say that Takai can control the elements like we can because this is the only time he's ever done it. I assure you that if he had that kind of power he would have used it already." Toma crossed his arms and closed his eyes in concentration.

"I'll analyze the water in the lake with Suiko. Maybe I can get a clue as to how the water was manipulated." Shin suggested, putting his free hand to his chin. He yelped and let the hand drop again. "Ow!"

"What's wrong, Shin?" Seiji requested.

"My shoulder hurts, badly." Shin answered, pointing at the offending joint.

"Let me see." Seiji commanded gently, making his way over to the stairs. He gingerly rolled Shin's sleeve back. "Where'd this come from?" he inquired, motioning to a clean slice in the skin running the width of his shoulder.

Shin craned his neck to see it. "I dunno. It kinda looks like a cut that's been burned. Maybe I got it from one of Takai's tentacles."

"Well, I got hit, and mine doesn't look like that." Seiji commented, pulling down his shirt collar to reveal a red scar looking as if someone had pressed a flaming candle to his chest. "The tentacle pierced my armor and hit my chest here."

Shin shrugged. "Oh well. I probably got it sometime while I was asleep. Like, I hit it on the corner of the dresser or something. But nevermind. I need something to eat."

"You sound suspiciously like Shu." Toma pointed out, chuckling. They all chuckled a bit and retired to the kitchen, except for Seiji. Seiji stood in the same place, contemplating the scar on Shin's shoulder.

_That injury is giving off the same type of black energy as the knives those ninjas had the other day. That is no ordinary cut. I suggest we keep an eye on Shin. There's more going on here than any one of us knows._

_

* * *

_

Fourth chapter done! A slight warning before we get to the translations and preview, the next two chapters are really long, and I need some time to work something out in the chapter, so it might take some time for me to get the next chapter up. Thanks! Now! Translations! 

1 Ho: Yes (high respect, I think only used when talking to a man)  
2 Takai no boku: My Takai (I know. Doesn't make sense, eh? lol)  
3 Busso... Rekka: Armor of... Wildfire  
4 Busso... Tenku: Armor of... the Heavens  
5 Busso... Korin: Armor of... the Nimbus

Alright! Preview time!

* * *

"Are your troops ready to leave?"

* * *

"I slid over... and I think a reporter in the sidelines got... I think she got a picture of my face."

* * *

"It's Shin! He's having a nightmare and he won't wake up!"

* * *

He suddenly felt Shin's mind begin to reject him and push him away like some kind of mental immune system. Just before he was roughly driven out, he grabbed the remainder of the nightmare and pulled it away, then fell into darkness.  
"Seiji!"

* * *

Kitty-chan: Woo! I hope you like and come back soon! Review! 


	5. Day Five: Nightmares

Kitty-chan: Yay! I'm so happy with how fast I'm getting this story up! I'm on spring break now, so I hope to post the entire thing before it's over. I'm going to aim for a chapter a day, but a few of the chapters are insanely long, like... chapter eight is foutry one pages long written, so when it comes to that chapter it might take a while. Plus, another problem is, I can't write battle sequences. All the battle sequences you see were planned out on paper, but written on the compy... so... it might take longer even for some of the shorter ones. But enough of my ramblings. I don't own Samurai Troopers, by the way. They are property of Sunrise Inc. The only characters I own are Takai, Lai and Kuri. Uh... real fast, I want to say thanks to the reviewers who have given me feedback.

Rogue Ronin: Thanks a lot! I am feeling a lot better, thanks. Thanks for your kind words. It's really nice to hear feedback to certain parts of the story like that. And I'm really glad you're getting into the story. Thank you!

Inda: Yah! Power to the Ryo and Naste fans! Woot! I remember when I first saw the series, I thought Ryo and Naste together was kinda rediculous, but then I saw some of the earlier episodes and I thought... Oh yeah. There's somethin' going on there. lol. Thank you!

Faith Healer: I'm glad it's holding your interest. I've been kinda worried if people are finding it interesting up until this point simply because it's been a lot of character and plot development mixed in with lots of talking. I'm glad to hear it's not too boring so far. Lol.

Thank you! I don't have too many reviews, but I love feedback, so I treasure the ones I have. Thank you and continue to review! Oh! Name translations real fast!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji  
Byakuen: White Blaze  
Yamano Jun: Yuli Yamano

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock

Enjoy! The stuffwith () next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

"Ryo, can you hear me?" A feminine voice penetrated the wounded warrior's sleep, arousing him and allowing his eyes to open. 

"Huh?" Ryo grunted and focused on the woman's face before him.

"Ryo? How are you feeling?" it continued.

"Naste?" Ryo garbled, managing to force her face into focus.

"It's me." Naste smiled. "How are you feeling?" She asked again.

"Better." Ryo sat up to face her. She sat on the couch next to where he lay. She placed a hand to his forehead, then his cheek. "Well, you're temperature has dropped back down to normal." She commented, standing. "You hungry?"

"Very." Ryo sighed and swung his legs over the side of the couch. "What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock." She answered disappearing into the kitchen.

"At night? Wow. I could've sworn that I'd slept longer than that." He placed his chin in his right palm.

"You did." Naste giggled. "It's eight o'clock in the morning. You slept through yesterday afternoon and last night. We were beginning to wonder when you were going to come around."

"Wow." Ryo stood and stretched. "Hey, wait. Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Nah. I've decided that I'm not going to work again until this Takai ordeal is over." The quiet banging of pans floated from the kitchen as she began making breakfast for six. "The others told me what happened yesterday. The battle."

"Oh. So… back to your job thing, what made you change your mind about working?" Ryo asked, entering and putting the teakettle on before seating himself at the table.

"Well, one contributing factor was that the students didn't really want to talk about history at all. They all only wanted to talk about you guys and my experiences with you." Naste sighed, putting the pans down momentarily to start the coffee maker.

"I'm surprised that they were so interested. And that they even thought it worthy of discussing. Most of the city sees this whole thing as a hoax." Ryo shrugged.

Naste sighed heavily. "Yeah, but this is a college course, you know. Most of them are in there because they want to be. In other words, these people love these myths and legends, like the Samurai Troopers. Even if they don't believe that reporter, they still would be interested because anyone can see that I'm learned in the matter."

"Naste." Ryo stood and put a hand on her shoulder. "If it gets too hard, just tell the city about us. We don't want you getting involved with the press and media because of us. That could destroy your reputation."

"Well, for one, I promised that I would keep your secret, and that's just what I'm going to do." Naste huffed. "But there's another reason why I decided to stop working for a while. It's just that, while I'm there, I don't really feel quite focused enough. The whole deal is really mind-consuming, and it's kinda pointless for me to try and teach while being that distracted."

Ryo sighed as a voice interrupted their conversation. "Oi! Naste, what are you doing making breakfast?"

"Shin! Ohayo!" Naste smiled.

"Shin! How are you? When did you wake up? Are you sure you should be out of bed?" Ryo cried.

"Chill out, Ryo. I'm fine. I woke up yesterday and Seiji declared me cured of 'life drainage'." He laughed. "And Naste is taking over my job." Shin huffed and placed his hands on his hips.

"Nah, Shin. It's my house. I might as well cook for you." Naste smiled as Ryo poured himself a cup of tea and sat down.

"Iie, Naste." Shin shook his head. "You're providing for us. It's only fair that I cook!" Shin snatched the pan she held from her hands and set it on the counter. He placed his hands on her back, pushed her into the living room and sat her down on the couch. "Now. You sit here… watch TV… and if I see you in the kitchen again this morning, you're grounded, young lady." Shin laughed and returned to the kitchen. Naste giggled along and turned to TV on, flipping to the news. Shin motioned to the living room with his thumb as he re-entered the kitchen. "Outta here, Ryo. Go get the others up or something."

Ryo chuckled. "You're back to yourself. Lord of Water and the kitchen." Shin rolled his eyes and pulled rice from the cabinet. Ryo sighed and evacuated, making his way into the living room and toward the stairs.

"I remember the first time I entered this whole netherworld fray." Naste commented out of the blue as Ryo passed.

"Eh?" Ryo paused in mid-sip and looked at her.

"I saw you and Byakuen on the news. You were causing quite a ruckus. That was when the Youja appeared for the very first time." She smiled reminiscently. She paused, then turned in her seat to look at Ryo on the stairs. "Ryo?"

He turned and looked down at her again. "Huh?"

"Where is Byakuen, by the way? I haven't seen him the whole time you've been here."

"It's kind of a long story." Ryo shrugged.

"Well…" Naste blinked, then made a gesture to him. "Tell, please. It's not like we're short on time."

Ryo sat down on the fourth stair and regarded his tea for a moment before speaking. "Well, currently he's over at Jun's house. You see, when the youja first attacked me at my house in Sendai a few weeks ago, I knew that since they knew who I was, they'd know who you and Jun were too. The thing is, the five of us knew we needed to stick together if we wanted any hope of defeating Takai, but we also needed to keep an eye on you and Jun. But, of course, we couldn't be in two places at once."

"So you sent Byakuen over to Jun's to keep an eye on him." Naste finished.

"Ah. We knew that we, ourselves needed to keep a closer eye on you, since you have the data files from your grandfather.Takai probablyknows how important you are to our team and would probably go after you if he had to choose between you and Jun. That's why we were staying at the apartment complex. It's only a few miles away and it was easy to tell if something was happening here. But we never intended on staying here again." Ryo sighed.

"Well, you should know that my home is always open to you five. Especially during the wars." Naste smiled.

"Domo arigitou." Ryo smiled and headed upstairs to wake his comrades.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Lai!" The master bellowed. The ninja appeared, kneeling.

"Ho! Did you enjoy the show yesterday, Master?"

"Yes, I did, Lai. Good job." He smiled faintly, the set his mouth straight again. He cleared his throat. "Are your troops prepared to leave?"

"Ho."

"Good. You have briefed them on our target and strategies?"

"Ho… but… Master… wouldn't it be wise to go after Rekka no Ryo with-!"

"Silence, Lai!" He cried, shifting his weight on the throne to bear down on his servant. "You have no place to question my tactics!"

"Gomen nasai, Master!"

"Go! Launch the troops!"

"Ho!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Ryo-tachi!" The scream pierced the air in the house and brought everyone from the kitchen, running into the living room and crowding around the TV where Naste sat, staring wide-eyed at the screen.

"What the…?" Seiji trailed off, studying the screen. "What on earth does Takai think he's pulling, here?"

"The ninjas are swarming downtown! Let's go!" Ryo commanded, dashing to the front door. The other four rushed ahead, but Ryo paused before shutting the front door. "Naste!"

Naste turned to look at him. "Huh?"

"Lock the doors and don't answer for anyone, understand?"

Naste seemed slightly taken back by his tone. "But… why do I-!"

"Naste, do you understand me?" Ryo urged, looking after his friends.

Naste sighed and nodded. "Yes. I promise." With that, Ryo vanished and the front door fell shut. Naste locked it and then ran into the living room to pull a blank tape from the video cabinet. She shoved it into the VCR and began to record the newsreel.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Oi! Suiko!" Ryo cried, casting a look over his armored shoulder. "Should you be coming?"

"Ah, Rekka. I feel fine. Don't worry about me!" Shin assured him.

"Masks, everyone, now!" Ryo ordered. All five faces were immediately concealed by the metal plates as they, at last, made it to the city. "Dang. Where's the fight?" Ryo growled, looking around.

"I dunno." Seiji shrugged, but then his face lit up. "Wait! I remember seeing that one skateboard place that Jun likes on the news report. So it's down in the area where we first fought the youja."

"Alright. Tenku, can you confirm that? Fly up there and see if you can find the battle." Ryo suggested. Toma nodded and his feet left the ground.

"Oi!" screamed a voice from behind them. They turned to see a small Honda car, a man's head and torso sticking out the driver's-side window. "Get outta the street, you freaks!" The boys sighed and moved off to the side, filling up and area of the sidewalk.

"Guys, we gotta find that area, now!" Shu cried, watching a woman across the street whip out her cell phone. "I have a feeling we're gonna get some company soon."

"Tenku! You see it?" Ryo called up to the blue hovering figure.

"Ah! Follow me!" Tenku flew off to the right and the boys soon followed him, launching themselves off the sides of buildings to reach the roofs, and then jumping along the skyline, following Tenku toward the battle. It only took them about five minutes to find the street that was being attacked by swarms of Takai's ninjas "What the hell is this all about?" Tenku demanded, staring at the way the ninjas were simply running around. Every once in a while, they would touch an interfering person and the person would scream, dropping lifelessly to the ground.

"What are they doing to those people?" Shu asked, jumping from the top of the building and flying toward the ground.

"They're just destroying any resistance." Seiji guessed.

Ryo landed next to a ninja about to grab a hold of a man's neck for attempting to protect his wife. Ryo pushed the ninja away and drew out his katanas. "What do you think you're doing?" The ninja made no attempt to respond, but rather rushed at him, calling forth a group of others to help him. Ryo gulped. He hadn't been expecting fifteen of them to come at him at once. He held his swords up and began slicing away any who got close enough. Ryo, not paying much attention to his surroundings, suddenly became aware of the large crowd that had encircled the battlefield, which stretched across the width of the street. After a few seconds one ninja managed to wrap itself around his legs and hold him in place while two more grabbed his arms. One last ninja jumped onto his shoulders and knelt down to grab his helmet, particularly, the metal face plates. _Takai's trying to expose us!_ He violently jerked his head around, attempting to fling the ninja off, but the creature held fast. After a few seconds of struggling, the ninja threw a powdery substance into his face and leapt back again. Ryo coughed and backed away as the other three released him. He felt the faceplates slide part, completely revealing his face. _Those idiots found some kind of magic that reacts with the armor to undo the facemask!_ He turned to Shin and saw him in the same predicament he had been in just moments ago. "Shin! Watch out for the-!" Ryo was cut off as three ninjas slammed into his side and sent him flying off to the left. Four more ninjas piled on top of him, holing him to the ground. Ryo watched as the ninja on Shin's shoulders threw the powder into Shin's face and jumped away. But they did not leave Shin alone as they had done Ryo. Instead, they threw another powder at him, causing him to begin coughing heavily. The ninjas then slammed him in the chest, sending him flying back into the crowd that had gathered around to watch the battle.

Shin slowly remembered himself. He opened his eyes and a bright flash blinded him, right before he found himself looking into the face of a young woman, wondering if he was okay. He waved his hand in front of his face to block the sunlight and the woman's eyes, then leapt to his feet. He rushed back into battle to face off against the ninjas who had attacked him. What had they done to him? He suddenly felt… unsure of himself. There was something in his mind that he didn't like. The second powder they had thrown at him had done something. He didn't know what. But it had done something. And the light he saw right when he woke up scared him, too. But he didn't have time for doubts, now. He had to have all his concentration. After all, he had gotten beat when his concentration split in the last battle he participated in.

"Chodando(1)!" Shu shouted, raising his Bo above his head. He was silenced as Seiji threw his no-datchi into the path of Shu's spinning Bo, catching it and sending it flying off to the side.

"No, Kongo!" He yelled as Shu reclaimed his Bo. "Do you realize how many people are around us? Your attack could kill some of them!"

Shu looked around and begrudgingly conceded. He then took off to the side, parting with Seiji, and running toward a group of ninjas closing in on a group of kids in school uniforms, apparently on a field trip. The kids were huddled in a circle, some whimpering and others crying. "Hey, freak, get away from them!" Shu yelled, swinging his Bo along the line of ninjas and sweeping them all away. Some hit the ground and vanished in a puff of smoke, while others managed to regain their footing. He began to deal with the ninjas as they came at him, thrusting foreword legs, fists, and even, every once in a while, a dagger. Shu noticed, soon after, he was being pushed back toward the kids. _Are they trying to get the public involved?_ Suddenly, he felt something large and solid come into contact with his chest, pushing him backward. He tried to regain his footing, but it was lost on the leg of another ninja, waiting for him to step back. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, a murmur coming from the surrounding crowd. Ninjas held down his arms and legs, completely immobilizing him. One of them jumped up and landed on his torso, straddling his stomach. He grunted at the impact, then began coughing heavily as one shoved a fistful of reddish powder into his face. They immediately retreated as Shu attempted to rub the powder out of his eyes enough to open them. When he finally did, he gasped at the fact that his facemask was no longer covering him. _What the…?_

Toma leapt into the air and pulled a single arrow from his quivver and drew it back. As he released it, it turned to ten arrows, raining down on the ninjas. He drew out another arrow and aimed at a ninja jumping into the air straight at him. The ninja threw a small object of some kind right before he shot it. The object exploded, mere inches from his face, sending reddish powder into his eyes, nose, and mouth. He coughed and then opened his eyes wide as the facemask, which covered his countenance, was sliding apart. He growled. _Stupid…_ He once again began letting loose a torrent of arrows on the ninjas below.

Seiji cut down the last of the ninjas in his area and looked around. The others had already retreated, and now the whole crowd was staring solely at him. He waved timidly and sheathed his sword. "Yo… konnichiwa.(2)"

The crowd was silent for a long time, simply staring at Seiji and the bodies of the ninjas that had yet to disappear. After a long minute, one man emerged from the crowd, and attempting to be brave, began to speak. "Who are you… what are you? What do you want with us?" There was a rumble of ascent around the crowd, but no real confidence was shown. Not quite sure how to answer, Seiji said nothing and took off to the top of the nearest building to follow his friends.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ryo slumped onto the couch and heaved a sigh. "Well, that was an adventure." He grumbled. "I don't want to ever do that again."

"Too many people… too many ninjas." Shin finished for him.

"No kidding." Seiji nodded and took a seat next to Ryo. "But, again. That strategy was odd. They didn't seem to be out to hurt us. And Takai should know that it would take even more than them to take us down, even if we were surrounded by people."

"I think they were trying to expose us." Ryo stated quietly. "Those ninjas brought a special powder with them that undid our facemasks when we breathed it in. I'm not sure why Takai would want to expose us, but…"

"Maybe he was hoping he could use the city's fright to his advantage." Seiji shrugged. "You know that if the city were to find out who we were, they'd freak out." The others nodded in agreement.

Shin wrung his hands a bit before speaking. "Uhhh… minna?"

"Ryo-tachi!" Naste cried, running in. "Thank goodness you're all alright!"

"Of course!" Toma cried, feigning offense. "We can't be taken down by a mob like that!"

Naste's face was solemn. "Ryo… did you… prechance see any news reporters in the city?"

Ryo shrugged. "Yeah. I spotted one or two, but they never got near me."

Shin cleared his throat. "Minna… about that reporter thing."

"What's up, Shin?" Shu wondered, the attention in the room shifting to the Suiko master.

"Umm… remember when I took a hit to the chest?"

"Yeah." Ryo voiced for the group. "I was watching until right after they hit you."

"I slid over… and I think a reporter in the sidelines got… I think she got a picture of my face." Shin sighed, remembering the panic that had quickly come and gone when he saw the young woman leaning over to look at him. The bright flash, come to think of it had been incredibly similar to that of a camera. The click of the shutter probably had not been heard due to the noise of the battle. He dropped his head and waited for a reprimanding tone from his comrades. None came, however. Naste's gentle and quiet voice was the next heard.

"Guys, Shin thinks correctly." Slowly, she raised her right hand, the TV remote within, and pressed her thumb down on a button. The VCR made a slight whirring sound as the VHS inside began to play. The five made a slight jump at the sight of their own forms jumping around in a small window to the right of the male anchor.

"What's this, Naste? We were expecting them to get this much of us. This isn't anything to get freaked out over." Toma commented, waving his hand around, confident and relaxed.

"No, Toma. This is a recording of the news report that came on earlier. I can tell you that it gets worse." She quieted herself and placed herself beside Ryo, on the opposite side of Seiji.

The male reporter looked grave. "Live in Shinjuku, five creatures, apparently dressed in armor-like apparel are facing off against what looks like an army of Chinese Ninjas. There are no confirmed identities of the ninjas or the armored creatures, and their humanity has been questioned. The police of Shinjuku have been trying to get into the center of the crowd to try and resolve the matter, but the crowd of civilians and the scattered attacks of the ninjas on the police trying to get through have halted any efforts made. A serious warning has been issued urging all families to stay inside. We will be back with more updates as more information becomes available." There was a long string of commercials, which Naste fastforworded through, and finally, the anchor reappeared on the screen. He did not speak for a long moment, then gathered his thoughts, folded his hands and stared squarely at the camera. "New evidence and tragedy has been discovered at the fight in Shinjuku. Naia Takata is live from a police helicopter at the scene. Takata-san, can you see anything?"

An older woman appeared on the screen, a microphone held firmly in her hand and the strong wind of the helpicopter whipping her hair around. "No, actually. I can't see much of anything at all. There seems to be some kind of barrier around the fight zone that is preventing the helicpoter from getting any closer. But new information, gathered from our reporters and civilians down in the crowd, has reached us.

"We have confirmed that the armored creatures are, in fact human. Small amounts of blood are sometimes seen falling from the armored creatures, however, we have not been able to figure out much about the ninjas. The fight is rather bloody, and many of the ninjas are dying, but not a drop of their blood has touched the ground. It's a tough call right now. Up until now, we had absolutely no way to identify these armored people, but we have now confirmed the identity of three of them."

A large picture of Shin's face appeared on the screen, his eyes open only a tiny bit. "This is Mouri Shin. He has been confirmed at twenty years old, before today, he was last seen in Shinjuku on August 5, 1990. Currently, there is no record of his residence."

The second picture was a three quarters shot of Toma's face, his mouth open in a battle cry as he unleashed his rain of arrows on the enemy. "This is Hashiba Toma. He is twenty-one years old, and before today, he was also last seen in Shinjuku on August 5, 1990. His residence is also unknown."

The last picture showed a head on shot of Shu's pain-stricken face, the reddish powder also setting around his face. "This is Rei Faun Shu. He is also twenty years old, and the rest of his information is the same as with the other two. Last seen in Shinjuku was August 5, 1990, and his residence is unknown."

The male anchor appeared on the screen again. "Arigitou, Takata-san. Reports continue to come in, and the latest ones say that the fight has ended and the armored creatures have retreated. The bodies of the countless ninjas that the public saw cut down today are nowhere to be seen, raising even more questions about the mysterious creatures. The boys who have been identified are not currently listed as citizens of Shinjuku, but efforts are being made to find out more about the boys and their whereabouts." He turned a bit to face another camera at a different angle. "The people of the city are both shocked and afraid at the same time. The witnesses to the fight in downtown have seen the kind of abilities these creatures have and worry for their safety. The city is now pushing for the arrest and confinement of both the armored creatures and the ninjas. The police have responded, and while they attempt to get the public to calm down, others are filing for a warrant to arrest the creatures involved in today's events."

Naste flipped the TV off and looked guiltily at the five boys, who had not moved. She knew she had nothing to do with their discovery, but being the messenger sure had an effect on her. The first movement made was Shin falling limply into the seat next to Toma. He looked like he was about to scream or cry. Which one, Naste couldn't tell. But there were quite a few emotions playing across his face. Shin clenched his fists on his knees. "I'm sorry, everyone." He growled more at himself than anyone else. "It's my fault."

"No, Shin. I screwed up, too." Shu pointed out, pulling at his orange headband.

"Same here." Toma sighed.

"At least they don't know where you live." Naste pointed out hesitantly, hoping to lift the room's spirits a bit. It didn't work. The boy's made no response. After a long tense moment, Shin grunted quietly and stood.

"Good night everyone. I'm going to bed." He mumbled, disappearing up the stairs.

"Shin…" Ryo began. Seiji put a hand on his shoulder as he started to get up and shook his head slowly.

"I think he just wants to be alone right now." He sighed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

_"Papa?" The small boy whispered, peering into the living room and watching the lumbering form of his father work with something he was bent over. "Papa?" He whispered again, rubbing some sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing?"_

_The man suddenly sat up straight and turned around to glare at the boy. "What are you doing up? You should be in bed."_

_"I couldn't sleep." The boy defended. "What are you doing?"_

_"Get back to bed, Shin." He grumbled._

_Shin hesitated and then peered around his father's body and his small eyes grew wide at the sight of a very full suitcase. "Papa… what are you doing?" he asked for the third time._

_"Shut up, and go to bed." The man growled. "This is none of your business."_

_"Papa… you aren't leaving, are you?" Shin demanded, raising his voice. The man suddenly and roughly clapped his large hand over Shin's mouth._

_"Shut up, Shin! You want to wake your mother?" he hissed. "Now go back to bed!"_

_"No, Papa!" Shin cried, his voice muffled by his father's hand. "Please don't leave!"_

_The man sqeezed the small child's face a bit. "You shut up. Now!" Shin continued to wriggle until his father finally released him._

_"No, please, Papa! Why are you leaving?" he demended. His father had talked but a few times of leaving the family, but he had never expected him to actually do it._

_The man snorted and stood to his full heigth, grabbing his suitcase and towering over the child. "It's because I can't stand any of this! You're such a disobedient child, we can't do a thing with you! It's your fault I'm leaving!"_

_The child took a step back as if he had been struck. "Papa… what?" He didn't know this. He never knew his father was so displeased with him. "I'm sorry, Papa! Please don't leave! I promise I'll be good!" he screamed._

_"Shut up!" The man yelled again._

_"Shin?" A female voice cried. A young woman in her mid-teens appeared and kneeled next to Shin. She then looked up at her father. "Papa, what's going on?"_

_"Nevermind, Sayako." He growled. "Just keep ahold of your brother."_

_Sayako didn't know what he was talking about, but wrapped her arms around her six-year-old brother's waist, holding him in place as he surged after the man. The man turned and began stalking toward the door. "Papa, what are you doing?" Sayako yelled._

_Without answering, the man picked up his suitcase, threw his coat over his shoulder and ran out the door. "Papa! Papa!" Shin screamed, tears streaming down his face as his sister held him back. "Papa! Come back! Please! I'll be good! Please, Papa!"_

"Papa! Papa!"

"Shin?" Shu shot upright in bed and looked over at his childhood friend's bed. "Shin?" He called to him as he saw him writhing around in his bed. He leapt up and turned to lights on before dashing back to his firend's side. "Shin!" He yelled again, grabbing his friend's shoulders and shaking them vigorously. The man's yelling continued, but he did not wake. "Shin! Wake up!" The man did not respond, but rather continued to writhe around, yelling over and over again.

"Shu? What's going on in here?" Ryo stood at the door, squinting at the light and scratching his head.

"Shin'e having a nightmare, but he's not waking up." Shu's voice was beginning to sound a bit panicked. "Shin!" He shook him again, but this rendered the same result as before.

"Papa!" Shin screamed, his forehead breaking out into a light sweat.

"Who's yelling?" Naste inquired as she filled Ryo's spot in the doorway. The latter had run to stand by Shin's bedside as Naste appeared, dressed in a frilly green robe. "Shu, what's wrong?"

"It's Shin! He's having a nightmare and he won't wake up!" Shu waved his hands around, feeling helpless now that it had been determined that waking Shin up was not going to happen.

"Seiji!' Ryo yelled.

Seiji soon appeared in the doorway, completely out of breath. "What's going on in here?"

"Seiji!" Shu cried, then motioned to Shin.

Seiji's eyes widened and he raced to Shin's side to grip his shoulders. He began to shake him hard. "Shin! Shin!"

"We tried waking him up! He won't!" Shu commented, shakily.

Seiji squeezed Shin's shoulders a bit, trying to force his way into Shin's mind. If he could make it in and dislodge the nightmare, he might be able to force Shin to calm down. He felt a pressure in his head right before two hands pressed against his back. Shu caught him as Shin's mind threw him away, physically pushing Seiji backwards. Seiji raised an eyebrow. Why was Shin's mind so incrediably resistant? Seiji shook it off and forced his way back into Shin's mind. As his senses explored, he became more and more confused. Shin's mind was dark and more resistant than most of the minds he had entered before. He began to tug at the dark shroud of the nightmare that had surrounded Shin's thoughts. After a few minutes he began to realize how difficult it was going to be to free the suffering boy. The nightmare had completely enveloped every part of his mind as if his had consciousness of its own. But he couldn't stop now. If he let Shin continue to wallow in the nightmare, he might never wake up. Something was not right with this nightmare. Shin couldn't be awoken, and if they left him, he might never awaken. What had caused this much trouble?

He suddenly felt Shin's mind begin to reject him and push him away like some kind of mental immune system. Just before he was roughly driven out, he grabbed the remainder of the nightmare and pulled it away, then fell into darkness.

"Seiji!" Naste cried as the man released Shin and leaned back fully on Shu's hands. "Seiji!" She cried again.

A hand hit her shoulder. " Calm down, Naste. Seiji has just exhausted his abilities. But he did the job. Look. Shin has calmed down."

Naste looked to see that Shin was now quieted. He no longer twistewd and turned in bed, but rather, he lay still, a grimace remaining on his face. "So, what now?"

"We should let them both rest. Let's get back to bed." Ryo suggested, ushering Naste out the door and pointing her in her bedroom's direction. He turned to Shu as soon as Naste was on her way. "Shu, you wanna take Seiji back to bed?"

Shu nodded and pulled Seiji into his arms, standing. He pushed his way into Toma and Seiji's room and couldn't help but smile at Toma. The man was still fast asleep. Very few things could disturb this Trooper's sleep, that was clearly expressed each morning as the others took turns waking him up in the morning. Shu shook his head and put Seiji back into bed. He then headed back into his own room. He entered and made his way over to where Shin was to check on him. He froze as Shin whispered, "Takai no… boku." He was silent for a long time after that, and so Shu figured he would be all right. He turned off the lights and climbed into bed. But just before he fell completely to sleep, he could've sworn he heard Shin's soft quiet voice.

"Sayonara(3)… Shu."

* * *

Kitty-chan: Whoo! That was a long chapter. Crazy, huh? A few of the Samurai have been exposed. What next? (dramatic moment) Lol. I can tell you, things really start to heat up in this next chapter. I hope you stay tuned! Translation time! 

1 Chodando: Ultra ballistic (beginning of a sure-kill)  
2 konnichiwa: Good afternoon  
3 Sayonara: Good-bye

Cool! Preview time!

* * *

"It could consume him or drive him mad in a short period of time if something goes wrong."

* * *

"Shu, help me!"

* * *

_You have to do this! Ryo is counting on you!

* * *

_Ryo leaned back, putting his weight fully on his knees. His arms went around his torso and he began shivering. "It's cold... so cold." he whispered. He then looked timidly up at Toma. "What happened to me back there?"

* * *

Woo! I told ya things were gonna go crazy in the next chapter! Come back and review! 


	6. Day Six: Takai no Boku

Kitty-chan: Whoo! Long chapter! It's 12 typed pages on Microsoft word. O.O Anyways, here's the next chappy. Ch7 should get put up soon. It's not too long. But, I hope you like this chapter. This one is one of my personal faves, next to the last one, of course. Oh! I don't own any of the Samurai Troopers. I only own Takai, Lai and Kuri. But anyway, here are the name translations!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji  
Byakuen: White Blaze  
Yamano Jun: Yuli Yamano

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock  
Kikoutei: Inferno  
Go Retsu Ken: Soul Swords of Fervor

Enjoy! The stuff with ( ) next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

"Seiji!" Naste cried happily as Seiji appeared on the steps. "Ohayo!" 

"Ohayo, everyone." Seiji waved sluggishly to Naste, Ryo, Toma, and Shu who were sitting on the couches of the living room, sipping at tea. Naste immediately got up to pour him a cup. Seiji did a double take when he caught sight of Toma. "Toma? What are you doing up so early?"

"Early? I've been up for an hour." Toma said proudly, as if waking up before someone else in the house was a major event. "It's one in the afternoon."

"Eh? It's one o'clock?" Seiji cried, walking into the room to seat himself beside Shu. "Wow. I was really tired." Naste returned and placed a mug before him. "Thanks."

"Yeah. Getting at Shin must've been really draining for you. But at least it worked, and you're okay." Shu shrugged.

Naste polished off her tea and clapped her hands. "Alright. I'm going to the store to pick up some food for lunch and some other groceries. I'll be back in about an hour, okay?" She quickly took her mug to the kitchen and then hustled out the door.

"What happened last night, anyway?" Toma asked after Naste had left. Having slept through the whole ordeal, he was a bit confused to the happenings.

Shu explained what happened according to his own point of view. As soon as he was finished, Seiji began his side of the story. "When I first tried to go into his mind, it threw me out. His head was completely infested with that nightmare. It was a strong nightmare, too. Probably about something close to his heart. But it took all I had just to calm him down. Even if it was a nightmare about something close to his heart, it shouldn't have taken that much force to get him to calm down. That, and the fact that we were completely unable to wake him up suggests that it was not a natural nightmare."

"You think it was nethergoon-induced?" Shu asked, looking around for the others' reactions.

"It could've been. Where is he now?"

"Still sleeping. We haven't been able to wake him up. His breathing's fine and his temperature's fine, and he hasn't had any nightmares since the bad one. He just won't wake up." Shu answered.

"Well, we should check on him periodically." Seiji nodded.

"Yeah." Ryo agreed. "Toma was the last one down and he checked on him about an hour ago. We should proably check on him again soon."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"_Get up, now."_

"_Please. Stop it." A weak voice protested the gruff one, but it did nothing to alter the command._

"_Get downstairs. You have a job to do."_

"_No. I can't. I won't. He's my-"_

"_-your what? Your friend? You have no friends, and you have no family. You only have me. I am your past, present, and future. Now move!"_

"_Stop it! Get out of my head! Please!"_

"_Go now!"_

"_Please, stop it! Somebody help me!"_

_>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> _

Shu stood. "I'll go check on Shin." He offered. He began heading up the stairs but only made it halfway when his face brightened. "Shin!"

"Shu?" Shin had a dazed look on his face, and his eyes were glassy. "Hey. Good morning."

"It's one in the afternoon, sleepyhead." Shu smiled. "You feeling better?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shin inquired, cocking his head.

"You had a nightmare last night, didn't you?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Well, I woke up and you were screaming, but we couldn't wake you up, no matter how hard we tried." Shu explained as they began their descent down the stairs.

"Shin!" The others stood when Shin became visible.

Ryo smiled as Shin smiled down at them. But his smile vanished as Shin's eyes locked with his. There was a spark, a fire there and he couldn't define. The spark seemed to burn with an anger he had never known Shin to possess before. Of course, then again, this was Shin we were talking about. Hateful Shin was like an oxymoron.

Shin headed to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat as Shu rejoined the others and Ryo shook Shin's eyes from his mind. Shu sighed happily. "Well, at least things are back to normal."

"Sh!" Ryo hissed. "You'll jinx it!"

"It's not over, Shu. Not by a long shot. Takai is still out there. He's not going to be easy to bring down even with our new armors. You saw how little they did against him when we fought him last. He deflected us like we were children." Seiji pointed out wisely.

"I know." Shu sighed, his spirits dampened.

"What about Kikoutei?" Toma suggested quietly.

There was a pause where Seiji stared Toma down, an odd look in his eyes. After the pause, Seiji shrugged. "What about it?"

"Can we still create it? I'm sure it would be enough to stand against Takai." Toma explained, shrugging as well.

"We probably can create it, but it would be risky." Seiji answered slowly.

"Risky? How so?" Shu inquired.

"The power comeing from these armors in incredible, and times, difficult to control. Imagine what all five of them combined would do to Ryo. Could he handle that much power? And that's only the first problem we hit when we suggest Kikoutei." Seiji explained, folding his hands.

"What other problems are there?" Shu asked.

"You do realize how Suzanagi made the armors, don't you?" Seiji began. Shu shrugged. "They were born from her hate. That means that a hateful influence has been built into the armors as well. It's just the nature of these weapons. Now, normally, we don't notice the hate in them because our wills and our minds are strong enough to conquer the armors and we are able to dominate it. But what would happen if Ryo received not only five times the power, but five times the hate? It could consume him or drive him mad in a short period of time if something goes wrong."

The three conversing teens looked to Ryo, who was staring at what was left of his tea. He let out a breath and closed his eyes briefly before openeing them again and focusing on Seiji. "Then we'd better not let anything go wrong. You know as well as I do that we won't be able to take Takai down unless we have Kikoutei's power. Our armors separately didn't do squat against him last time. You know that Kikoutei is really the only way we'll be able to take Takai down."

"But Ryo, there might not even be a Kikoutei armor to go with these new armors. And even if there is, this thing could cost you your life." Seiji argued.

"Seiji, the whole reason Suzanagi created the armors was to create the Kikoutei. Of course there is a Kikoutei to go with them. Secondly, it is better that I lose my life than the millions of people in Japan and the billions in the world. It's not moral, or right, for me to not do anything when my one, insignificant, life could save billions of others. We're going to summon Kikoutei, and Takai's going to test its power for us."

"Ryo!" Seiji cried, staring wide-eyed as Ryo hit the floor, staring timidly up at him.

Ryo's head whipped around to stare at the reason he had dove off the couch. A knife, Ryo recognized it to be one of Naste's good ones, was imbedded in the wall where Ryo's head had been just seconds before. The hilt was the only thing visible, as the entire blade had disappeared into the wall, betraying the force with which it had been thrown. Whoever had thrown that knife was attempting to kill him. All eyes turned to the doorway, to see Shin standing, a dagger in his left hand, which they recognized to be the one from Suiko's boot. In his right hand, he held his Suiko yari. "Shin!" Ryo called. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Rekka no Ryo." He answered lifelessly.

"Rekka no Ryo?" Ryo repeated, standing and brushing himself off. "Since when do you call me that?" Ryo suddenly jumped to the side as Suiko's knife was thrown at him. "Shin!" He cried as he regained his feet. "What in the hell are you doing?"

"Come at me, Rekka no Ryo!" Shin cried, holding his yari out and striking a fighting stance.

"Shin, are you crazy? What has gotten into you!" Shu yelled, taking a step toward him. Shin's yari twitched and Shu reeled back, holding his shoulder, which had been grazed by the point of Shin's weapon. "Shin! What's wrong with you?"

Seiji put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't go near him. He's not himself." Seiji's eyes narrowed. _Im sensing that same dark presence. But why is it surrounding Shin like that? It doesn't make any sense. What's happened to him?_

"Come on, Rekka! Are you afraid of me?" Shin taunted, brandishing his spear around.

"Shin! Snap out of it!" Toma yelled.

"Shut up!" Shin yelled back. "This has only to do with Rekka no Ryo and I." Suddenly, Shin was gone and stood behind Ryo. He pulled the dagger from the wall and pressed the handle of the yari across Ryo's shoulders, holding him in place. The blade of the dagger went to Ryo's neck and Shin gave a smile. "Not so tough now, eh Rekka?"

"Shin…" Ryo said quietly, looking down at the dagger pressed to his throat.

"Shin! Please… why are you doing this?" Shu demanded.

"It's really none of your business, is it?" Shin grumbled angrily. "But if you insist, it's really quite simple. I was weak, and Takai gave me power."

"No, Shin…" Ryo whispered.

_Takai no boku!… Shu! Takai no boku!_

Shu's eyebrows came to a point. "Of course… Takai. So that's what Shin was trying to tell me." He pointed an accusing finger at Shin. "No! You're not Shin at all! You're Takai!"

"Huh? Shu, what are you talking about?" Toma looked at Shu, then at Shin.

"Duh!" Seiji cried suddenly. "Isn't it obvious? That explains the odd presence I sensed around him… the nightmares… the water in the lake… everything! Takai's taken control of Shin's mind and body. Takai is the Emperor of Corruption. Controlling and influencing people is what Takai is all about!" The three looked to Shin, who now had tears streaming down his face.

"What? Takai has possessed him?" Toma cried.

"Yes. Those nightmares he was having weren't normal nightmares, remember? That black shroud around his mind… that was Takai's influence trying to take control!" Seiji explained.

"So, now you realize what's happening." Shin smirked, his tears continuing to flow. "But really, it doesn't matter. You can't do anything about it. I've got your leader here, and Shin is no longer able to hear you."

"If he can't hear us… why is he crying?" Toma demanded, pointing at Shin's tears. Shin didn't answer as Seiji, Shu and Toma dawned their under gear.

_Don't hurt him, guys. He can't control himself now._ Seiji thought to the other two. Shu nodded subtly and Toma grunted in approval. Toma held out his left hand and the bow from Tenku materialized. He grabbed the string, and as he drew it taught, a golden arrow appeared pinched between his fingers, resting on top of his left hand. He set his sight and aimed the tip at Shin.

"Let him go, Takai." He growled.

"Go ahead, Tenku no Toma. Rekka will beglad to accept your arrow." Shin snarled. His face was contorted with evil bloodshed, but tears continued to stream down his face, his eyes betraying his desire to stop.

Toma closed his right eye and aimed carefully. _Shu! Go! Now!_ He released the arrow, Shin's eyes widening considerably. Ryo braced himself, logic telling him that Toma's arrow wouldn't hit him, but his instinct screaming in panic. The arrow struck the tip of the hilt of Suiko's knife, sending it flying out of Shin's hand and across the room (Seiji caught it before it dashed one of Naste's vases). Shu was infront of Shin in a heartbeat. He grabbed Ryo's wrist and yanked him away from Shin to stand over by Toma. Shu then grabbed Shin's yari and flipped it over, hoping to twist it from his grasp, but Shin held tight, crossing his right arm over his left to retain his hold on the spear.

"It's no use, Kongo no Shu. I've got complete and total control over Shin."

"Shin! I know you are in there, and I know you can hear me!" Shu yelled at the boy.

"Don't you understand this?" Shin laughed. His tears continued to come. "I've planned this from the very beginning. During our first encounter, I nearly drained the life from poor little water boy. That weakened him enough to make his willpower almost non-existant. I took that chance to infest his mind with my influence." Shin smiled proudly. "I could only work on taking over when he was asleep, and not completely aware of my presence, but still, I had to work slowly. If I worked too hastily, Shin's mind might have detected a disturbance and alert him to my presence through a dream. That was when the little wretch decided to try and contact you, calling out, 'Takai no boku'. It didn't work. By that time, I already had control over most of his mind. I even tested him out that day when my youja began to light the forest afire. The manipulation of the water from the lake was done completely by Shin's yoroi. And when he woke up, he had no memory whatsoever of what I had done to him." He laughed a bit and Shu's face contorted with rage. "Then I realized that by planting a nightmare in his mind, I could work more efficiently because his mind would be distracted. So, I gave him a nightmare he couldn't wake up from."

"You did all that, just to control Shin? Why?" Shu demanded.

"What better way to get my revenge than to destroy Rekka no Ryo with one of your own?" Shin smiled.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

_-Takai! Master Takai!_

Takai looked up and snarled at Lai. "What is it? I'm in the middle of something."

"Forgive my forewordness, Master, but the spirits that are keeping an eye on the battle have reported a problem with Suiko no Shin." Lai commented quietly.

"Well? What's the problem? My control is absolutely complete."

"Yes, of course Master, but we have found that Suiko's yoroi is not accessible at it's full strength." Lai answered hastily, bowing low.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takai growled.

Lai fumbled a bit for a moment before screwing up his courage and speaking. "You see, Shin's will, as you know, is very strong. He is not permitting us to access the power of the armor. He is withholding its power from us and Shin alone, even with your power boost is not going to be enough to kill any of the Troopers. He is the weakest of all five."

"Then I shall consume his soul as well. If I control his soul, I can take the armor." Takai conceded.

"But, sir, consuming his soul would not only kill him, but Suiko's armor is far too weak to take down the likes of Rekka no Ryo. It would be pointless." Lai answered, standing.

The master huffed before yelling, "Kuri!"

The situation was explained and Takai requested her advice. Kuri thought for a long moment before smirking. "Well, you could consider re-investing your abilities. It wouldn't be as complete as it is now, but it certainly would have the element of surprise, so more power would be available to us." She suggested, stroking her chin.

Takai considered this for a long moment before smiling and nodding. "Good. I shall. Now go." Takai waved them away and began to concentrate again.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Shin suddenly went completely motionless. He stopped moving altogether and the suffocating aura of evil seemed to relent. Seiji stepped foreword a bit. "Guys… Takai's released him for some reason."

"He has?" Shu looked into Shin's lifeless eyes.

"Yeah. He's still got control of Shin's body, but his mind has been released, if only a little bit." Seiji continued.

"Shu, help me!" Shin suddenly screamed, causing Shu to jump.

"Shin? Is that you?" Shu asked slowly.

"Yes, it's me. You've gotta help me! Takai's going to use me to kill Ryo and then you guys!" Shin yelled, panicked.

"No, he's not. Now let go of the spear." Shu nodded at the yari, which neither had released.

"I can't! Takai's locked my body in place. I sense that something's distracted him. You gotta stop him! All you have to do is kill me!" Shin cried, his tears coming faster and thicker.

"Are you crazy? Kill you? I don't think so! I'd never do something like that!" Shu protested.

"I'm weak, Shu! I'm not much help you guy guys in the first place! I'm just a burden!" Shin argued. "I got us exposed, and I was too weak to resist Takai's influence! Just do it!"

"Shut up, you idiot!" Shu yelled, shoving at the spear. "How could you say things like that? You're not weak! You're Suiko! You complete the circle of five! If you didn't notice, my picture was on that report too. Are you telling me that I'm weak?"

"Of course not, Shu! I'm just-!"

"Then stop it! The fact that both our pictures appeared on that screen proves that we are on the same level! Takai was able to take control of you because he nearly drained your life away! I'm sure that any one of us would be in the exact same position were we in your shoes."

"Listen! Takai makes me more powerful when he controls me! I've been able to withhold my aromor's power from him, but he's going to boost my strength and use the fact that you don't want to hurt me to kill you all! If you die, there's no hope for this world! If I die, that'll spoil another one of Takai's plans!" Shin begged.

"No, Shin! I'm not going to sacrifice your life!" Shu shook his head.

"Shu!" Shin screamed suddenly. His eyes rolled back into his head and closed. After a few minutes, they opened, but with the evil spark returning.

"Shin? Shin?" Shu cried.

"Sorry, he's unavailable. Can I take a message?" Shin growled, giving a smirk.

"Takai." Shu clenched his teeth. "Yarou(1)! Let him go!"

"If you insist, Kongo no Shu!" Shin suddenly released the spear, grabbed Shu's shirt, pulled him close and sank his teeth into the side of Shu's neck.

"Shu!" Ryo, Seiji, and Toma yelled.

Shu screamed as he felt not only the pain of Shin's teeth, but also a dark sting that festered in his neck and began to spread into his head and wrack his body like electrocution. He gripped his head as a voice began chanting, echoing into every fiber of his being. Shin's teeth suddenly left his neck and the boy dropped limply to the floor, but the stng did not leave. He could feel a pounding in his mind. A deep rumble that threatened to steal his consciousness. Something was trying to take over.

_Just give in and the pain will stop, I promise._ A comforting voice called to him.

"No! Get out of my head!" Shu yelled, writhing around, his hands pulling at his hair a bit.

"Seiji, what's happening?" Ryo demanded, watching the struggle between Shu and the unseen enemy.

"Takai has entered Shu! He's transferred his spirit out of Shin and into Shu! He's trying to posess him!" Seiji explained quickly.

"What? What can we do?" Toma inquired, his body screaming for him to take action.

"We can't do anything. Shu has to repel him on his own simply because the battle has moved to Takai versus Shu's mind." Seiji growled. "We can do nothing but give him our support."

_You know I'll win in the end, so why bother resisting?_

"Shut up! Get out of my head!" Shu repeated.

_You know I'll win._ The voice repeated. _Now be a good little slave and do what I tell you!_

Shu gave a long yell of effort and anger before going silent, his hands dropping to hang by his sides. Hi eyes slipped closed and his breathing quickened. Ryo took a few cautious steps foreword, holding his hand out. "Shu?" Shu didn't respond. "Shu?"

Shu's hand traveled up to his neck to brush away the small trickle of blood that was slowly running down his neck. Then, that same hand lashed out to strike Ryo across the face. Ryo stumbled back sneering, "Takai!"

"You rang?" Shu looked up, smirking.

"What's this all about?" Seiji demanded.

"Well, it's about all of you. Mainly you, Rekka. With the use of Shu's body, I'll finally have the revenge I've waited for." Shu smirked, his eyes flashing with bloodlust.

"Explain yourself, demon! Why are you now possessing Shu?" Ryo shouted, his katanas materializing into his hands.

"You see, when I drained Shin's life that first day, I figured he'd be easy to take over. After all, he is the weakest of you five." Shu began, stooping to pick up Suiko's yari. He swung it behind his back and struck a fighting stance. Toma's bow appeared in his hand as well.

Seiji called his no-datchi to him and held it out. "But he wasn't. Your influence depends on not only the person's will, but the state of the person's heart. An evil person would be easier to posess than a pure-hearted person. Shin has the purest heart of anyone I've ever met. You weren't able to easily control him at all!" Seiji realized, preparing for a fight.

"Very astute of you, Korin. Shin was still no match for me, but his will was annoyingly strong. It took me a while to gain complete control. Once I realized how difficult it would be to take him, I had an army of ninjas distract you outside while one of them ran into the house and slashed his shoulder with a knife laced with netherworld poison." Shu continued, running at Ryo. A small sword fight began until Seiji and Toma joined the fray and a larger fight ensued, Shu continuing to explain the whole time.

"That was that cut we found on Shin's shoulder when he woke up!" Toma pointed out, blocking Shu's spear at it came down at his head.

"You're not a slow as you look. Like I said, I tested him out by pouring the water of the lake on Ryo earlier, and then my spell was finished when the ninjas in downtown yesterday threw a special powder into his face that would make him more suceptible to my control when he was sleeping." He jumped away and stood up staright next to where Shin was. The other three stopped chasing him, fearing for Shin's life. Shu batted Shin's head with the blunt end of the yari. "This little weakling wasn't worth the amount of effort that had to go into posessing him. But I couldn't abandon the posession simply because that would mean I would have to grab one of you." Shu then motined to himself with his thumb. "I knew I needed a strong Trooper, like Shu, to take you down, Rekka. So, I merely needed to posess Shin and get him to transfer my spirit to one of you. All one of you had to do was get close enough."

"Close enough? I was the first one Shin grabbed!" Ryo protested, motioning toward himself. "Why didn't you just use me instead of going out of your way to possess Shu?"

Shu shrugged. "I don't want to posess you, I want to kill you. And I want to do it with one of your friends. Youre little noble act took Arago down and you're going to pay for it!."

"I'm back with lunch, minna! Come on!" Called Naste as she made her way through to foyer and into the livingroom. She froze and dropped her groceries when she saw the commotion. "What on earth is going on here! If you guys are going to spar, do it outside!" She cried angrily, though part of her mind told her that this was a serious matter. After all, why would Shin be unconscious, and Shu brandishing the Suiko yari around?

"Shhh, Naste!" Toma hissed, waving an armored hand at her.

Shu suddenly raced at Ryo, spear set foreword to strike, eyes red with blood-lust. Ryo side-stepped the weapon and grabbed the handle. He held it in place with his right hand, while backhanding Shu across the face with his left. "Wake up, Shu!" Ryo yelled.

Shu smirked and Ryo suddenly screamed as huge surges of dark energy flowed through the spear and into Ryo's body. Ryo was forced to let go and dropped to his knees as Shu then pointed his weapon at Seiji. Seiji made a lightning fast spin kick to Shu's hand, hitting the spear away to land by Shin. Shu shrugged and held out his right hand. Orange energy glowed there for a moment before stretching to become his Kongo Bo. He snapped the ends open and gripped the chains that linked them together to swing the ends around like nun-chaku. He raced foreward, swiping at Toma and Seiji again and again. The boys were able to dodge the attacks, but they were in no way able to counterattack. And even if they could attack back, how could they attack one of their closest friends? Suddenly, the two jumped up into the air In unison, Toma landing behind Shu and Seiji landing back in front of him. Toma dropped his bow and wrapped his arms under Shu's and placed his hands on the back of Shu's head, holding his arms in place. Seiji took the opportunity to retrieve his no-datchi. It began glowing a faint green as he threw it down at Shu. "Come out of him, demon!" He yelled.

Shu smirked. "You honestly think a simple exorcism can work on the likes of me?" Shu yanked his arms foreward, forcing Toma to release him. He then grabbed Toma's wrist and swung him around himself to slam him into Seiji. The two tumbled to the ground, rolling on the floor from the force of Shu's throw, Seiji dropping his sword to keep from injuring Toma. Satisfied with his handiwork for the moment, Shu turned his attention, once more, on Ryo. Ryo was still unable to get off his knees due to the immense amount of power that had electrified his body. Ryo looked up when Shu stood in front of him, and immediately began to try and get up. Before he could get to his feet, Shu let out an arrogant chuckle and smashed his Bo into Ryo's back, forcing him back to the floor with a loud yelp of pain.

"Ryo!" Naste dashed in and threw herself over Ryo's back, clutching his shirt and bracing herself for a hit. "Stop Shu! Stop this!"

"It's a little late for that, lady." Shu growled, raising his weapon to attack.

Naste cringed and awaited the strike, clutching Ryo's shirt firmly, but the hit never landed. After a few seconds pause, wondering what was keeping Shu from making the blow, she looked up to see Suiko's yari crossed with the Bo. She looked to the owner of the yari. "Shin!"

Shu looked at the younger boy, an enraged look in his eyes. "What do you think you're doing, you pathetic pipsqueak?"

"What does it look like?" Shin panted, a drop of sweat trickling down his temple.

"Shin!" Toma cried, untangling himself from Seiji and jumping to his feet. "Are you alright?"

Shin didn't answer. He simply narrowed his eyes at Shu. _Takai's in there. And he's in me, too. He hasn't left me alone yet. I don't think he can take control anymore, but I have to get rid of him. He's still in my mind._ He growled and forced Shu's Bo up and away from Naste and Ryo before slamming his foot into Shu's middle, kicking him farther away. "Forgive me, Shu."

Shu stumbled back from the blow, but quickly recovered and stood up straight. "How dare you strike me!"

"You tried to use me to attack my friends. You'll pay for it." Shin sneered.

"Will I now? I'd have to say that you will be the one to pay, you troublesome little worm. Who do you think you are, resisting Emporer Takai!" Shu huffed.

Shin jumped at him, spear first. "I will drill you out of Shu if I must, Takai!"

Shu chuckled. "You know as well as I do that you won't." He planted his feet and smirked at Shin. "You wouldn't hurt Shu if your life depended on it." He laughed and moved slightly to dodge the spear and grabbed Shin by the neck. "And come to think of it…" He pulled Shin close. "It just might." He threw Shin across the room allowing him to slam into the far wall and drop limply to the floor.

_Ryo!_ Toma thought to that man who was still trying to get up.

_Eh?_

_Do you think Kikoutei would have enough power to exorcise Takai?_ He inquired, looking over at him

Seiji interrupted. _No, Toma. We only try and form a Kikouteiif it's a last resort. Remember what I said about its power.It could be extremely dangerous for both Ryo and Shu. Besides, we would need Kongo to form it._

_You can channel Kongo, can't you, Seiji?_ Toma reasoned.

_Yes, but once again, it's a last resort._

"Ryo, are you alright?" Naste whispered, helping the wounded man to his feet.

"Yeah. I think so." Ryo answered, nodding. _Seiji, Toma, Shin… whenever you guys think it necessary, send me your power and I'll create Kikoutei. I'm ready anytime._

"Ryo, what on earth is going on here!" Naste demanded of him as Seiji and Toma began a small fistfight with Shu.

"Long story short; Takai has posessed Shu." He answered hastily. He froze, then looked around. He could sense them, but they hadn't shown themselves yet. "Minna! Youja!"

The group paused in their activities to cast their glances about the room. Even the fistfight between Shu, Toma, and Seiji had paused. Suddenly, Shu backed away to stand in a smaller corner of the room as back creatures swarmed the room. They filled every inch of the living room, some sitting in the rafters of the ceiling, others just outside the living room door. Shin growled and swung his yari around and held out his free hand, almost as a goad to the enemies. Ryo suddenly threw his hands into the air, yelling, "Samurai Troopers to arms! Busso… Rekka!"

Three more cries followed as they answered the call of their leader. "Busso… Korin!"

"Busso… Tenku!"

"Busso… Suiko!"

The livingroom exploded with action as the youja rushed in to attack. Immediately, Ryo's arm went around Naste's waist and he jumped toward the stairs. Several youja met them halfway and knocked him back to the ground. Ryo pulled himself under Naste to keep from crushing her under his armor, but when they hit the floor, Ryo still saw a red gash in Naste's temple. She sat up, holding her head. "Ow…"

"Naste, you alright?" Ryo inquired, jumping to his feet and slicing the approaching youja in half, then bracing himself as more came to take its place.

"I'm okay." She answered, her words slurring only slightly. "Just a bit… dizzy. I think one of them caught me on our way down."

Ryo sent a burst of energy from his blades, throwing the next bunch back several feet. He then scooped Naste up again and immediately jumped back toward the stairs to set her on the top step. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't move from this spot, no matter what, alright?" Naste nodded uncertainly and he rushed back into battle.

Toma unleashed one arrow at a time, carefully aiming, hoping to keep Naste's house in one piece by the time the battle was over. He eventually resorted to simply battling the youja head on, using his bow as a weapon. Seiji was not too far away, slicing through any youja foolish enough to get close to him. But what worried him was Shu. Currently he was not attacking. He was just waiting. That wasn't good. That meant that the youja they were currently fighting were just a diversion. They were simply a way to wear the Samurai out so that it would be easier to cut them down once they were done… if they got done at all. And unfortunately, there was no way they could do anything about it. If they didn't fight off the ninjas, they'd bee killing. No sure-kills were to be released, that was understaood, because of their surroundings. They'd destroy Naste's house if one of them attacked. _We're sure in a fix this time._ Seiji observed dryly.

Shin shoved his spear throught the middle of one youja, then used that youja's body as a ram to hit away another few. He bent his upper body back and swung his weapon over his torso to destroy all the youja surrounding him. When he straightened, he let out a yelp and dropped his yari, holding his right hand. A dagger had grazed the top, carving a large slice across the palm of his hand. He swore and picked his yari up with his left hand. Of course he could use this one, but it wasn't nearly as able.

The number of youja began to dwindle, but so did the energy of the Troopers. The confined space they had, and the sheer numbers of enemies sucked their energy dry. Finally, there were a mere fifteen youja left surrounding the Troopers. Shin let out a yell and sliced through the three that had surrounded him before dropping to his knees, panting. Seiji and Toma quickly disposed of their by letting bursts of energy come from their weapons. Ryo was not as lucky. The five that had remained around him had launched a joint attack, hitting him from all sides. Ryo felt a sharp edge run across his chest, then his forehead. He suddenly flung his arms out to the side the rid his body of the enemies, but they were not beaten. They rushed at him again, but Ryo swung his swords in a horizontal line, beheading three. He paused for a moment, feeling dread fill him, then relief. He had feared that the sharp edges he had felt on his body had been those of the dark knives, charged with Takai's netherworld poison, but when he sensed no evil coming from the injuries, he wiped blood away from his eyes and delivered fatal slices to the remaining two.

Shu straightened and began to slowly clap his hands, wandering over to Ryo. Ryo growled, but did nothing. What could he do? This was one of his best friends, after all. "Well done, everyone. But I'm afraid I have to cut my visit short." He grabbed Ryo by the neck and lifted him off the ground. Ryo gagged, his airway restricted. Shu chuckled as the other three called for their leader. "You're not as strong as I thought you would be. Not even willing to make sacrifices."

Ryo sighed and closed his eyes. He understood what Takai was saying. He was willing to make sacrifices, but he had barred himself from making one sacrifice, and that was losing his friends. He'd rather die. He felt Shu's hand tighten.

Shu growled. Ryo wasn't cringing, or yelping in pain, nor making any sound or inication that he was in pain. "You know I can snap your neck, don't you? Do you not fear death?"

Ryo moved his eyes to look at Shu. "I don't… fear death… at all… Takai." He managed through what little air he could get. "And one thing… I fear even less… is you!"

"Why you little insect!" Shu cried, gripping tighter still.

Ryo's body stiffened. He felt a familiar urgency bubbling inside him. There was a fire in there. A fire to live. But it was not a feeling that came from his body. Rather, it was coming from the armor. _Oh no…_

He heard three loud yelps come from behind him, and Shu suddenly released him, dropping him to the floor, the backing away, doubled over. "No… you cannot have… Kongo!" Shu grumbled. Ryo hit the floor on his hands and knees, sucking in huge amounts of air to fill his parched lungs. He stiffened again as he felt three shocks of power slam into his body then sink in, putting it into the same part of his mind that dwelt on Rekka. But now there was a problem. There were only three yoroi powers that had entered him. Where was Kongo?

"Ryo! Go!" Seiji urged him, his voice firm, but weak. "Create Kikoutei!"

"I can't!" Ryo grunted. His entire body felt like it was being electrocuted. There was so much power, but without Kongo, there was no release. It had nowhere to go. So, it remained bottled up withing Ryo's limited body, churning and waiting to be let loose.

"What's going on? Why didn't Rekka grab Kongo when it summoned the yoroi powers?" Toma inquired hastily, pulling himself to his feet by his bow.

Seiji growled. "Rekka did grab Kongo. But Takai has control of Kongo now. He's withholding its power and won't allow it to enter Ryo!"

"Seiji! You've got to channel Kongo!" Shin cried, nodding at Shu. "You can forcefully grab it from him! If we don't…!"

Seiji nodded and, yanking himself to his feet, ran at Shu, saying, "Shu! Try and fight him off for a few seconds!"

"I don't think so, Korin no Seiji." Shu laughed, stadning straight, and pulling out his bow. He charged it with black energy and just as Seiji was reaching him, he slammed the bow into his middle, sending all of Seiji's momentum back into the boy's stomach. Seiji yelled and coughed up a bit of blood before flying back across the rom to slam into the wall and drop to lay next to where Toma was standing.

"Seiji!" Toma cried, dropping to his friend's side. "Are you alright?"

Seiji grunted and coughed a bit more blood up before slowly nodding. "I'll be fine, Toma. I'm more worried about Ryo."

"Toma!" Naste yelled, decending the steps and kneeling next to Ryo. Ryo was on his knees, his body flashing red, two shades of blue, and green. His breaths came in short gasps and his whole body shook vigorously. "Ryo can't handle this much longer! You need to take your power back if you can't get Kongo!" Her voice dripped with worry.

Toma shook his head. "No. We can't take our power from him without hurting him more! Ripping our power from him would be worse than giving him too much. Our powers have meshed together in his body, and it would be next to impossible to pick out our individual powers to pull them away! We could accidentally pull away all of his power kill him!"

Shin cursed himself and looked down at his slashed hand. Why couldn't he be more useful? _Shin!_

Shin'e eyes darted to where Seiji lay. _Seiji?_

_Shin, you need to channel Kongo. I can't do it in this condition._

Shin shook his head. _No, Seiji! I can't! You're the real expert with the psyche and stuf! I can't do it!_

_Yes, you can, Shin. Your abilities aren't as experienced as mine, but you do have them. You have plenty of ability to do this! You just need to do it!_

_Please, don't make me, Seiji. I'll just… mess it up! I'm not-!_

_Shut up! Stop barating yourself! You are just as strong as the rest of us! But you are strong in your own way! If you were weak, why would Suiko have chosen you? _Shin was silent._ You are strong, Shin. You have to do this! Ryo is counting on you!_

Shin looked over at Ryo, his body flashing, his breathing getting shallower and shallower by the minute. He then looked at Shu. The man had not moved and was staring warily at Ryo, but Shin could feel his energy reaching out to him. _Shin, you have to help me!_. Shin narrowed his eyes and dashed off to the side and into the kitchen. He ran through the kitchen and back into the living room, where he appeared right next to Shu. He made a strong leap, his good hand extended, hand reaching out to touch Shu's forehead. He didn't have a clue as to how he was supposed to hold Shu still long enough to channel Kongo's energy through himself and into Ryo, but Seiji was right. Ryo was counting on him. He'd figure something out. After like what seemed like an eternity, Shin's fingers touched Shu's temple. Immdeiately, he grabbed hold of Shu's yoroi power and began to pull ift from him and into his own body. Shu grunted, and swung his Bo over his head, catching Shin in the chest and sending him flying into the front door. Shin dropped limply to the floor, holding his hands to his chest.

"Shin!" Toma yelled. He looked down at Seiji, who only looked half alive. "Now what?"

"Pray." Seiji stated weakly. "Pray that Shu exorcies Takai, or that Ryo survives Shu."

Suddenly, Shu froze. He stood still, a mere five feet from Ryo and Naste. His entire body began to glow an orange light, and his face took on a scowl. "You worhtless oaf! How dare you challenge me!" He screamed. The orange light that had consumed his body, now formed into a sphere that floated in front of him shortly before shooting into Ryo.

Ryo stood and cried out as the power was releaed, creating a brilliant white light. Naste jumped back a few paces. "Busso!…" Ryo began, throwing his hands up to face the heavens. "Kikoutei!" White lightning seemed to appear out of nowhere and struck his body, shattering his wildfire armor. The earth seemed to tremble and fire sprouted from his feet, and soon completely surrounded him, dancing in a circle about his body.

"Kikoutei." Seiji called quietly. He looked over at Shin, who looked just as confused as Seiji did. "Shin! How did you…?"

Shin shook his head. "It wasn't me! I grazed his forehead, but I wasn't able to channel the power."

"Shu!" Toma cried, a smile spreading across his countanance. "Shu broke through! He sent his power on his own! Shin must've given him the boost he needed to break through long enough to send Ryo his power."

"Yes." Seiji sighed. "Kikoutei must have the power to drive Takai out."

The flames died down, and Ryo stood in the new armor. It looked a lot like the wildfire armor, but had certain differences. Rather than having red flames crawling up the shin guards, black liquid seemed to be sloshing around at the bottom of the guards. This trend continued on the hip guards, the forearm guards, and even the helmet. There was a shimmer about the armor that reminded them all of Toma's lightning bolts, and the helmet strongly resembled the Kongo's. On the shoulder guards were new symbols. These symbols represented neither the Rekka, nor the Tenku, nor the Korin, nor the Suiko, nor the Kongo. These were new representations. There was a black background in the small circle, and in front of the blackness, danced white fire. Ryo stood completely still, his legs shaking. _It's so… heavy!_ Ryo's mind cried. Indeed, it was taking every ounce of Ryo's physical strength to remain standing. He looked up at Shu, who now looked nervous. His arms had snapped to his sides, and he was completely still. Ryo stood up straight, wavering only a little. _Now what?_ He inquired more of the armor than of anyone else._ There's no weapon with this thing, and Byakuen has the Go Retsu Ken with him at Jun's house. _He sighed. _Never mind. I'll have to use Rekka's sword for now. The Rekka katanas might not be able to stand this much power for very long, but they should at least get me through the battle._ He held his hands out to the sides and willed the swords to him. He paused as nothing happened. _Dammit. This armor has so much power, it's blocking my contact with the Rekka armor._

_Use Tenku's bow._

Ryo looked over at Toma, whose attention was on the still unmoving Shu. _Are you crazy? I'm no archer!_ He thought to him.

_Huh?_ Toma looked over at Ryo, an eyebrow raised. _What are you talking about?_

_You just suggested that I use Tenku's bow, didn't you?_

_No, of course not. How would you use it? You've never worked with archery before, have you?_

Ryo looked down at his hands, staring at the black subarmor beneath the white outer armor. _Kikoutei… is that you?_

_Use Tenku's bow._ The unfamiliar mind voice repeated.

Ryo sucked in a sharp breath. Suddenly, he knew it was the right thing to do. All he had to do to win the battle was use the bow and arrows. He wouldn't even have to get close to Shu. He held his hand out to the side, and a white form appeared in it. When the light dimmed, Ryo held a pure white bow in his hands. He pinched the string with the middle knuckle of his index finger and thumb, and an arrow appeared as he drew back the string. His eye looked down the shaft, the tip aimed right at Shu. "Leave, him, Takai." Shu made no response.

"Ryo! No!" Toma shouted, running at the leader. His cries did no good, however, as the arrow was released, flying at top speed at Shu.

Shu yelped as the arrow grazed his shoulder. He slowly put a shaking hand to the grazed spot, but still made no move to attack. Seiji's eyes narrowed. _Shu's holding himself in place so that Ryo can hit him. But like this… Ryo will…_

_Use the swords._

_What swords?_ Ryo inquired, letting the bow fall to the ground and burst in a flurry of snow. He was suddenly aware that the armor was a lot lighter than when he first put it on. He hadn't noticed it before, but the armor was slowly getting easier to manage. And, he calculated, now he could move swiftly enough to use the katanas as the armor suggested. However, there was just one problem. _What swords?_ He repeated.

_Call them to you. Not Rekka's sword, Kikoutei's sword._

Ryo once again held out his hands and the white glow became two long double-edged swords, pearly handles glittering in Ryo's hands. The weight of the armor seemed to lift itself away as he rushed at Shu, swiping the swords at him. "Ryo, No!" Toma cried again. "Stop! You'll hurt him!" He snatched up his bow and dashed to Ryo's side. Ryo's swords flew down at Shu's head, until the golden of Toma's bow halted their decent. "Stop, Ryo! We don't want to hurt him!" Suddenly, the edge of the swords retreated away from Shu's head, and turned their deadly gleam on Toma. Toma held his bow up as both of Ryo's swords came down at him. "Ryo! Stop! Why are you doing this!"

"Seiji! Has Takai posessed Ryo now?" Shin called, getting to his feet.

"No. I told you. The Kikoutei could overpower him, and it has." Seiji answered, eerily calm.

"So… Kikoueti's posessed him?" Shin corrected himself.

"No. He is not a slave of its will, as he would be if it was a simple posession. Rather, the armor has seduced his will to match its own. It's kind of like a rush of adrenaline. He will return to his senses as soon as he takes the armor off." Seiji explained, using the wall for support as he worked himself on to his feet.

"Naste!" Toma yelled as Nate appeared behind Ryo and managed to haul the unbelievably heavy helmet off his head. The armor and the swords disappeared in a flurry of sakura blossoms and Ryo, dressed normally, dropped to his hands and knees, staring at the floor. There were tears welling in his eyes, and a few made their ways down his cheeks. "Ryo?" Toma whispered as Naste knelt beside the Trooper's leader and put a hand on his head.

"Are you alright?" She wondered gently.

Ryo leaned back, putting his weight fully on his knees. His arms went around his torso and he began shivering. "It's cold… so cold." He whispered. He then looked timidly up at Toma. "What happened to me back there?"

"Kikoutei took over." Shin answered quietly, walking up to stand next to Toma. "Or something like that. Ask Seiji."

Seiji began to make his way over to the rest of them as he spoke. "Technically, Ryo, everything you do when you wear Kikoutei, you do of your own free will. Because instead of controlling you and making you do things you don't want to do, it makes you want to do its will. I suppose you could say that Kikoutei's hold on you is even more complete than Takai's possessions because you don't resist its commands."

"Speaking of which, where's Shu?" Naste inquired, looking around and pulling Ryo close. Ryo didn't seem terribly aware of his surroundings at the moment, but didn't object to being pulled against Naste. He needed the comfort now. He wrapped his arms around her and held on for dear life, almost as if the Kikoutei would return if he let go.

"Where'd he go?" Toma inquired of no one in particular. Shu had, indeed, vacated the room.

"Takai's taken him!" Shin cried. "He's taken Shu!"

* * *

Kitty-chan: OMFG! Long chapter. I know... crazy huh? I told you things were gonna get crazy in this chapter. Anyways, here's the translation. Just one this time, as well. 

1 Yarou: Bastard (Bad Shu! LOL I think it's actually slang for bastard)

Alright! Now for the preview!

* * *

"That armor's dangerous." Toma stated simply. "Maybe even evil."

* * *

"I can't control it.I wanted to kill Toma, Naste. I wanted to kill him!"

* * *

"Hashiba Toma! You were identified as one of the killers that are becomeing known as the Samurai Troopers. Do you have anything to say in your own defense?"

* * *

"We are not things for you to examine under a microscope! Now get out!"

* * *

Yeah. The next chapter should be up soon. It's not all that long. Love ya all! Review!  



	7. Day Seven: Lingering Affects

Kitty-chan: Yay! At least this one was easier to post than the last one. Sorry about the shortness of it. I can't remember why I made this chappy so short. But, whatever. I'm glad this one was... sorta on time. The last one was really late. Anywhosit, thanks for the reviews! I know the last chapter was a bit of a rollercoaster, but this one's a lot easier to read. lol. Oh! I don't own any of the Samurai Troopers characters. They are property of Sunrise Inc. But, I do own Takai, Kuri, and Lai. Love ya all! Name translations really fast!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji  
Byakuen: White Blaze  
Yamano Jun: Yuli Yamano

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock  
Kikoutei: Inferno  
Go Retsu Ken: Soul Swords of Fervor

Enjoy! The stuff with ( ) next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

"Ohayo, Shin. Sleep well?" Naste asked quietly as the man sleepily entered the kitchen. Toma and Seiji were already at the table.

Shin shrugged a bit and seated himself next to Seiji, putting his head down on the table. "You alright, Shin? You look like you haven't slept a wink." Toma pointed out. Shin thought of pointing out that Toma actually looked half-alive before noon, but he dismissed the idea. He wasn't in the mood, and after yesterday's happenings, he doubted Toma was either.

The truth was, Shin had, not once, drifted to sleep. He had mde up his mind. He couldn't sleep. Not until Takai was destroyed. When Takai had left him to enter Shu, he had not completely vacated Shin's mind. He left a small spot of darkness in a corner of Shin's mind, tucking it away to be out of his reach. Even now, it was impossible for Shin to totally banish the remainder of Takai's spirit.

"Is it Shu?" Seiji inquired, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Partly." Shin whispered, his voice muffled by his arms, which pillowed his head against the tabletop.

"What's wrong?" Naste requested, standing and walking over to stand behind him.

"Takai… he gave me nightmares. He replayed my past to me. He replayed the night my father left the family over and over again right before my eyes. He stripped my mind of all its secrets, and then locked me away. I don't want to sleep until he's destroyed. I won't sleep. I know he can't take control any more, but I can still feel him. He's still here… in my head." Shin's head shook slowly back and forth, and the heel of his bandaged right hand pressed against his temple. Naste's hands were felt on his shoulders.

"It's alright, Shin. We're here for you, now. We won't let Takai hurt you anymore. I promise." She said gently. There were murmurs of ascent between Seiji and Toma.

Shin smiled faintly. "Thanks everyone." Shin mutteres, though, he did not move.

"Where's Ryo, by the way?" Toma asked suddenly. "Has he even gotten out of bed yet?" Shin shrugged. Toma looked up at Naste, who nodded and headed upstairs.

"Seiji, I've been meaning to ask you about yesterday." Shin mentioned, finally looking up. "How'd you know all that stuff about Kikoutei? About how it affected Ryo?"

Seiji shrugged. "It wasn't too hard. As you said, the human psyche and its analysis is my specialty amongst us five. "I began montitoring Ryo's mental state the minute he put the armor on. Simply put; I don't trust the armor. Immediately after he pulled out the bow and arrow, I could feel Ryo's will begin to change. He now saw Shu as an enemy like any other. It kind of all caqme together at that point. It was especially obvious when he went after Toma for trying to stop him from hurting Shu."

"That armor's dangerous." Toma stated simply. "Maybe even evil."

"Evil?" Shin inquired, raising an eyebrow at him. "Is Suzanagi's hate that strong in them?"

Toma anodded. "When I was holding him off, I got a look at the part of his face that's visible. His eyes were so cold. There was a hate in them that scred me. Hate for me. He hated me and he hated everyone in that room. It's just this side of posession. But it's even scarier than posession, because the hate he's aiming at me is not the armor's hate, but his own."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Ryo?" Naste whispered, slowly entering the room. "Ryo, are you awake?"

The figure in the bed rolled over to face away from her, and Naste quietly entered, closing the door behind her. She approached the bed and sat down on the edge. His back was to her, but she could tell he was awake. Next to Seiji, Ryo was usually the first one up. He never slept in like this. "If you're awake, why don't you come downstairs and get something to eat?"

"It's different this time, Naste." Ryo whispered, his voice cracking. She could tell he had been crying.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Kikoutei. It's different. I can't really explain it. I lost myself in its power, and I think that's exactly what it wanted." Ryo gave a heavy sigh. "I can't control it. I wanted to kill Toma, Naste. I wanted to kill him! And right before the armor left, I wanted to kill you for taking it. I wanted to do it. It wasn't the armor that desired to kill, it was me."

"You have to understand that what you did was not your fault." Naste reasoned, laying a hand gently on his shoulder.

"It is, Naste. If my will were stronger, I would have been able to keep from being seduced by Kikoutei. It took no time at all for the armor to meld my will with its own."

"That's only because you didn't know what was coming. You'll be ready next time. Your will is strong, Ryo. You just need to force it on Kikoutei before it forces its on you." Naste consoled.

"It's not that easy, but thank you, Naste." Ryo's hand peeked out of the blankets to rest on hers.

"Anytime, Ryo. Now, come on downstairs for some breakfast. You have a short reprieve, if nothing else." She answered, smiling.

Ryo sat up and sighed, offering his own weak smile. "Alright. Is everyone else up?"

"Mm-hmm. They're hanging out downstairs." Naste answered. "Maybe we can do something fun today. You know, something relaxing. I know it won't be the same without Shu, but you guys need some relaxation. You and Shin look like you didn't sleep at all last night."

"Alright, alright. Now get out of my room so I can get dressed." Ryo laughed, blushing at the fact that he only had jeans on.

"Whatever. Just come down and get something to eat, and we'll work things out from there." Naste suggested. She leaned in and kissed his forehead before exiting. The kiss certainly wasn't sisterly, Ryo could tell that much, but he couldn't tell if it was romantic, either. He shrugged. Such things couldn't trouble his mind. Right now, he was concentrating on Kikoutei's nature.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Would you like an omlette, Ryo?" Naste offered, waving a spatula at him. Naste had done all the cooking of breakfast so far. Not even Shin protested in his state of mind.

"Ive already had one." Ryo answered, smiling and dumping his dishes into the sink.

"Another? More rice? Sausage? Perhaps another omlette?" She offered.

_I can see why she's not a waitress._ Seiji thought to Toma. Toma laughed quietly.

"Naste, I said I'd eat breakfast, not the entire refridgerator." Ryo muttered, half laughing.

"Yeah, well-!"

_DING DONG!_

"I'll get it." Toma offered, since he was the closest one to the door. He made his way through the livingroom and over to the front door. He opened it up, and after about a millisecond of pause, three large microphones were shoved into his face, the people behind him ushering themselves into the house.

"Hashiba Toma! You were identified as one of the killers that are becoming known as the Samurai Troopers. Do you have anything to say in your own defense?"

"Hashiba! Could you answer a few questions for us?"

"Who are the remaining identities of the killers?"

"Are you really a killer at all?"

"Toma!" Shin yelled, running to stand in the doorway of the kitchen. He stopped dead in his tracks as the throng of reporters caught sight of him.

"Mouri Shin!" cried a bunch of them, dashing into the kitchen. As they spilled into the kitchen, Seiji spit his coffee out all over the table in surprise and Ryo fell backwards out of his chair. Shin, in the meantime, dashed to the opposite side of the kitchen, plastering himself to the wall. Naste growled as they all rushed in, focusing on Ryo, since he was the closest one.

"You must be one of the remaining two killers. What is your name, and what's the blonde one's name?" They all seemed to cry, the sentences overlapping each other five times over.

Ryo shied away from the cameras and the reporters, not fit to deal with them in his vunerable state. He was soon saved as a body appeared between him and the cameras cold hard stares. "Naste." Ryo breathed gratefully.

Naste shoved her hands into the two nearest cameras and began to physically shove the throng back toward the front door. As soon as she had gotten them most of the way out the door, she leaned back in and smiled at Ryo. "I'll handle this hoarde. You guys save the world, I'll say you guys from the press."

The four heaved a joined sigh of relief and settled back at the table as Seiji quickly cleaned up the coffee he had spit out and poured himself another cup. He sat ack down before noting Ryo's depressed countanance. "Ryo? You alright?"

The leader shook his head. "No."

"What's bugging you?" Seiji inquired softly.

"I wanted to do it, Seiji. I wanted to kill. I wanted to kill Toma and I wanted to kill Naste. I can't get that desire for blood out of my mind. The desire isn't there anymore, but I can't forget the feeling."

"Well, the things that drives you was stripped away and warped before being put back in. And having your will taken makes you feel…?" Seiji trailed off, searching for a way to describe how he thought it would feel. Never having felt it before, he didn't really know much about how it affected one, but he was pretty much making an educated guess.

"Naked and epmty." Ryo finished for him, shivering.

"Yeah. And I suppose that's why it's so traumatizing." Toma added.

"I've got to figure this armor out before I lose myself completely." Ryo growled, teeth clenched.

"Calm down, Ryo. You'll get used to it. You got used to the last one, right? It'll just take some practice." Seiji reassured him.

"There's so much more at risk now, though! I could hurt, or even kill, any of you guys! You know the kind of power these armors have!" Ryo gripped his head and his eyes squeezed shut.

"Ryo!" Toma grabbed Ryo's shoulders and shook him a bit. "It's us or Takai at this point! We will take the risk of losing our lives if it means taking Takai down! We have always been ready and willing to saacrifice our lives to take down a Netherworld Emperor." Toma sighed and calmed his voice, releasing Ryo. "You said yourself that the only way we're going to take down Takai is if we use the Kikoutei armor. And if using the Kikoutei armor means sacrificing my life, I'm willing to do it." He looked to Seiji and Shin, who nodded in agreement. Toma suddenly looked off to the side before stomping over to the kitchen doorway. From behind the wall, he pulled a lone reporter, a small digital camera in his hand. "How did you get in here!"

The man grinned sheepishly and pointed at the open back door. Toma tossed him onto the living room couch and pointed at the front door. "Get out!" Toma yelled. The reporter looked like he was about to obey, but instead held up his camera.

"Would you mind answering a few questions first?"

Ryo's rage awoke and he stood, stomping over to where the increasingly terrified reporter was backing up against the foyer wall. "Must we really inform you that we are humans, and not just some specimines for you to examine!" Red light shone in his eyes, and he was almost tempted to pull out a sword. But, he restrained. The restraint he displayed gave him a sort of odd pleasure that was welcomed in his dark mind. He was infuriated at the reporter for acting as if this were some kind of game, but there was no desire whatsoever in his being for bloodshed. "We are not things for you to examine under a microscope! Now get out!" The glow of his eyes and the tone of his voice was enough to send the reporter retreating out the front door to join the rest of the grouping.

"Ryo?" Shin whispered as the man stood there after the reporter had submitted and fled. "Are you alright?"

Though the enraged glow in his eyes was not yet fully dissipated, there was a slight smirk on his face. "I'm fine, Shin. I have proved to myself, that unless I am wearing Kikoutei, it has no lingering effect on me."

"That was a test? And what if it had failed?" Seiji cried from the kitchen doorway.

Ryo shrugged. "One less reporter?"

Toma smiled. At least Ryo had cheered up enough to joke around. Now, all they had to worry about was how the reporters would exploit their findings. Oh, and the missing Shu. Not to mention the trauma of Shin and Ryo.

No pressure, huh?

* * *

Kitty-chan: Woo! Scary. The press is kinda persistant, if you ask me, but I must admit to a certain admiration for them. They certainly are persistant. In order to be that persistant, they must really love what they do. Lol. Oh! No translations for this chapter. So, we go straight to the preview!

* * *

"That Lai person has to be a demon, or at least posessed by one."

* * *

"We have to leave here." Ryo interrupted, standing.

* * *

"We're the Rejects. Kinda like you guys. Welcome aboard." A young man, looking to be about fifteen, draped an arm over Ryo's shoulders.

* * *

"Shu! Wake up! Please!"

* * *

_I'm going to tell you one more time... GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

* * *

_"Slanderous traitor!" Ryo yelled angrily, rushing at Seiji, his fist extended.

* * *

"Time is too precious, and watching for Takai's next move is crucial." Shin answered quietly. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Yay! The next chapter is insanely long, but I hope to get it up within the next three days. I'm not too sure, though. Bear with me. lol. Love you all! Review! 


	8. Day Eight: The Curse of Exposure and the...

Kitty-chan: Finally, chapter eight is up! Sorry this one took so long, but as you can see, it's freakin' huge! It's 19 pages typed! I think this chapter, in length, is second only to the last chapter. It's crazy! It took me a while, but here it is! I hope ya like it! Oh! I don't own the Samurai Troopers. They are property of Sunrise Inc. I only own Kuri, Takai, and Lai. That's all. Oh yeah! And I own the Rejects.You'll meet them soon. Alright, quick name translations, the on with the chapter!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji  
Byakuen: White Blaze  
Yamano Jun: Yuli Yamano

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock  
Kikoutei: Inferno  
Go Retsu Ken: Soul Swords of Fervor

Enjoy! The stuff with ( ) next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

"Date Seiji. He is twenty years old, and he was last seen in Shinjuku yesterday. He is currently residing at the Yagyu estate."

"Sanada Ryo. He is also twenty years old, and was also seen yesterday. Along with Date Seiji, he is currently living at the Yagyu estate."

The same male anchor as the one who had reported on the Samurai Troopers before now appeared on the screen. "The remaining two killers were identified yesterday morning as reporters went to Yagyu Naste's home to hopefully get more information on the crisis involving the armored men and the ninjas that conflicted in the middle of downtown a few days ago. The other three already identified Troopers were found to also have been living there. Rei Faun Shu was not seen at the house, but the sparse explination given by Yagyu Naste implies that all five currently live with her."

The screen flipped to a picture of Naste, who was standing protectively in front of the door to her house. "The five Samuari Troopers are, indeed, here with me. They are not to be bothered, and I can't say I'd like to give an explination of the recent happenings, simply because it would sound rediculous to all of you. The only thing I have to say about them is that these boys should be under no more pressure to reveal themselves than the ninjas also spotted in downtown Shinjuku. If you will recall, and I'm sure witnesses can testify to this, the Samurai Troopers were not attacking the general public as the ninjas were. Rather, they were protecting the surrounding crowds from the attackers. Regardless of what they have done in the past, they acted as heros then, and shouldn't be persecuted for doing so. If you want to blame someone for the attcks, blame a man named Takai who ordered the ninjas to attack the downtown area in the first place."

"Yagyu's claims are questioned, and while some people agree with her, the majority of the city is pushing for her arrest as well. The public has no real reason to believe her claims since the so-called Samurai Troopers were the one who murdered the ninjas, and the ninjas did little more than push aside those who got in their way. The ninjas also face persecution, but there are, as of yet, no leads to their whereabouts or identities.

"The police are currently filing for a warrant for the Samurai Trooper's arrest, but as of yet, the lack of blood or any evidence at all at the crime scene is keeping the police from convicting them for murder. When asked to answer to an interview, Sanada Ryo, who appears to be the leader of the five young men, had this to say."

Ryo's enraged, red-eyed image appeared on the screen, shot from the angle of the reporter whom had pressed himself against the wall in an effort to escape Ryo's anger. "We are not things for you to examine under a microscope! Now get out!"

"Other than Yagyu-san's speech yesterday, there have been nopublic responses from the Troopers themselves concerning the accusations that currently face them-!"

Ryo flipped the TV off and sighed. "Sorry, everyone."

"For what?" Naste looked up at him.

"I'm pretty sure that whole glowy-eye thing didn't help our innocence case at all." Ryo grumbled, tossing the remote to the floor.

"Aww, quit bashing yourself, Ryo." Toma waved him off. "None of this is your fault."

"I know… but I can't help but feel… responsible."

"You don't have to take the weight of the world on your own shoulders, you know, Ryo." Naste pointed out.

Ryo sighed again. "Actually, Naste, sometimes I do."

Naste waved her hand at him. "Ryo, if this mess is in any way your fault, then it's also partly my fault. I gave that stupid speech, and now the whole city thinks I'm crazy. I don't think I helped any."

"Believe me, Naste. You helped." Seiji assured her, smiling.

"Minna!" Shin cried, running down the stairs.

"Shin! What's wrong?" Toma wondered, standing.

"Turn on the news! I saw something on the internet that looks Takai-related!" Shin answered hurriedly.

Naste obeyed and scooped the remote to turn the TV back on. The male anchor was sitting at his desk, as usual, with a small box in the top right corner of the screen. In the box was the picture of a young man, probably in his early to mid thirties. He had long light brown hair, held in a low ponytail, and his nearly black eyes stared arrogantly into the face of the camera. "-the announcement made by Aousuko Lai, who claims to be a representative of the man whom Yagyu-san told of yesterday."

"Rather, they were protecting the surrounding crowds from the attackers. Regardless of what they have done in the past, they acted as heros then, and shouldn't be persecuted for doing so. If you want to blame someone for the attcks, blame a man named Takai who ordered the ninjas to attack the downtown area in the first place."

"Aousuko Lai claims to be a representative, sent by Takai, here to speak in his defense."

The screen switched to the light brown-haired man from the small box. He was now standing at a podium somewhere in downtown Shinjuku. "These Samurai Troopers that you are currently having trouble with are originally from my home country, China. They are men who have all been proven clinically insane by doctors in Beijing, and they have come to Shinjuku to make a mockery of a part of Japanese history. Takai is no villain, rather, he is an honorable government official with a high station in the National guard. He is currently responsible for their well-being, and cannot sit by and wait for these men to continue their ruse and hurt innocents.We have, indeed, trained ninjas to deal with them. We do not have an explination for their actions a few days ago, and we deeply apologize, and more restraint will be exercised when choosing the units to come into town. We have come to Japan to help the government in the capture of these men, and Yagyu Naste, if that is the government's wish. Any and all cooperation is welcomed and encouraged."

Naste switched the TV off again and tossed the remote aside. "This is rediculous. How can they buy his story? You guys were protecting the people, while the ninjas were the ones attacking!"

"That Lai person has to be a demon, or at least posessed by one." Seiji concluded. "Takai's using the city's fear of us to his own advantage. If he can turn the entire city against us, he won't even need to go through the steps to posess someone. Because, I guaruntee you that we will be absolutely powerless if he raises an army of humans."

"And now that they know where we live…" Shin continued.

"We have to leave here." Ryo interrupted, standing. "And we need to let the people know that we're leaving. Otherwise, I guaruntee that they will try something against the house."

"No, guys! Please stay! I want to help!" Naste objected, standing as well.

"Naste, do you realize what's happening here?" Toma demanded.

"I do understand, Toma. But I also understand that it is my calling to help you guys. Why else would you be here a second time?"

Ryo put his hands on her shoulders. "Naste, right now, the most you can do to help us is to stay safe. You should probably leave here as well. At least until this whole thing is over."

"But… I want to help." Naste insisted, hanging her head.

"You've already done more than enough." Toma added. "Like Ryo said, the best thing for you now is to stay safe and leave here."

"We'll take her with us." Seiji stated firmly, standing.

"What?" Toma, Ryo, and Shin cried at once.

"Think about it for s few seconds. Leave her here, alone, with no protection? Naste is strong, but if Takai wants to posess her, he will. She's like one of us, and while that doesn't make her a fighter, it does make her a target." Seiji explained wisely. "But it's your call, Ryo. What do you think?"

Ryo looked down at Naste, who had fixed him with a pleading blue stare. He sighed heavily. "Alright. Naste will come with us."

All heads snapped to the side as a crash was heard like that of shattering glass. The front window of the living room had been broken, and just inside the room, lay the thing that had flown through it. On the carpet, amongst the glass was a small aluminum soda can. Stuck inside the mouth of the can was a large piece of paper, completely engulfed in flames. Shin's hand shot out, and from an unknown source, water covered the flames, dousing them. "What on earth?" Shin whispered. Toma ran over to the window, and then immediately backed away again.

"What's wrong, Toma?" Ryo inquired, approaching to look over his friend's shoulder. When he got a good look, his face turned fearful. There was a mid-size group of people standing on the front lawn. They weren't making much noise, but they held such weapons as baseball bats, and sticks. Some were waving their weapons around, while others simply stood there, sending foul looks in through the window. "Ok, now we really need to leave." Ryo pointed out.

"Where do we go?" Shin inquired. "Everyone's looking for us."

"Follow me!" Naste cried, grabbing Seiji's sleeve and running for the back door. The mob obviously saw them, and they could hear their run for the back door being announced in angry tones, followed by the pounding of footsteps in the side yards. Naste yelped as she saw the mob round the side of the house and run for them, where they were just exiting the house and making their way onto the porch. She yelped again as a pair of strong arms scooped her up from behind and jumped into the air, sailing for a bit before landing firmly in a tall tree.

She looked up at her savior and smiled. "Thanks, Shin."

Shin ignored her statement and sent her a firm look. "Where to now?"

Naste looked around for a few seconds before poiting in the opposite direction of the house. "The far end of the woods." She gripped Shin's arms tight as he took off again, flying over the trees at high speeds, the other three flying alongside him. At their speed, it took them only fifteen minutes to reach the opposite end of the woods. They landed in a small clearing, about ten feet away from a small dirt road. Off to the side of the clearing, amongst a sparse population of other trees, was an oddly tall Wysteria tree. Its branches did not stretch outward, as most did, but rather, it spread upward, making it taller than most of the other surrounding trees. Shin set her down and she immediately ran over to run her hands along the tree's trunk, as if searching for something.

"What's going on, Naste?" Shin inquired quietly.

"The Wysteria Tree is a symbol for peace and happiness now, right?" The four nodded. "That hasn't changed since the Edo period. During times of civil war, there was a village that existed somewhere around the area where my house is now. A fire hollowed out this Wysteria tree, and a tunnel was built underground that wound all under present day Shinjuku. The entrance is in this tree. It was made for the children of the village to escape when the village was attacked."

"Wow. This thing has been around for a long time." Toma whistled.

"No kidding. It's sometimes referred to as the Guardian Wysteria, because it guarded the children from danger." Naste continued, her hands still running along the bark. Finally, she let out a "aha!" as she apparently found what she was looking for. She stuck her fingers into a large crevice in the bark that other than the fact that it was bigger, was no different from any of the other crevices. She pulled on it, and the tree opened up into a pitch-black hallway that a long way down under the earth. The four men peered down into the hall until Naste roughly shoved them in. They all tumbled down the small staircase until they hit the bottom in a pile, yelling at one another.

"Hey! Whose elbow is in my back?"

"I really don't want to see your feet!"

"That's my head!"

"Someone's sitting on me!"

It took a full five minutes for the Troopers to untangle themselves, and Naste's unrelenting laughter was a bit unhelpful. As soon as they had all stood, and attention was drawn from them to the pitch blackness that surrounded them, Naste clung to the nearest Trooper, who happened to be Toma. "Agh!"

"Where are we, Naste? I can't see a thing." Shin pointed out, placing his hand at the tip of his nose. He still couldn't see it.

"You're asking me? I've never been down here, before." Naste answered shakily.

Ryo's eyebrow twitched a bit. "Oh great. Never been down here before? How'd you know about it, then?"

"I'm a history teacher, Ryo. It's my job to know these things. I mean, alright, I have been down here before, but no farther than the staircase. I have no idea where it goes." She held tighter to Toma's arm as she felt something brush her foot.

"Absence of blood circulation, Naste!" Toma yelped as feeling retreated from his fingers.

"Oh. Whoops." Naste's grip loosened. "Seiji, how about a little light?"

The colored parts of Seiji's under gear shone brightly, offering them some vision, but more area was lit as he drew out his no-datchi and charged it with white hot light. He sighed and began walking down the long hallway, his sword extended outward, but facing the ground.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Where are we?" Shin inquired as they emerged from a hole in the ground, normally concealed by a patch of dirt and grass.

Naste crawled out of the hole and looked around. Her eyes lit up as Shin replaced the block of grass, hiding the entrance to the tunnel. "I know where we are! My Grandfather and I used to live around here before we moved into the house I have now."

"So, how far away is Shinjuku?" Seiji inquired suspiciously, his under armor dissolving into his civilian clothes.

"It's about a twenty minute drive from here. But, Reikishi University is only about five minutes away. My computer and my files are there. Maybe we can find out more about Takai." Naste suggested.

"Well, point the way." Toma ordered, kneeling so she could climb on his back. A soon as she had latched her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his arms under her knees, he took off. Within minutes, Naste had let them into Reikishi University, where they were running along the rafters, and sneaking behind corners to get to her classroom without being seen. As she worked her classroom door open, Toma grunted. "Naste, about the next time I carry you?"

"Yes?" Naste inquired as the door popped open.

"Hold on… don't throttle."

"Heh…sorry about that, Toma." Naste giggled as they filtered in, she closed her door, and took a seat at her desk. The guys took seats at the students desks, absently taking the room's look in. She began to sift through her Grandfather's files, and through her own after his had rendered nothing. After about twenty minutes of solid searching, she pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. "Nothing. There's nothing anywhere in here about Takai. Arago's presence was the only one felt when these files were made, so there isn't any information on Takai, or any other Yami no Sekai Emperor." She looked up and sniffed. "Ryo! Are you listening to me?"

Ryo turned his head from where it rested on the desktop. "Mm-hmm."

"Could you look like it then?"

"Classrooms make me sleepy." Ryo moaned, his words slurring a bit.

"That's an interesting problem to have." Shin whispered to Toma and Seiji. The two laughed quietly.

"Oi. This is my classroom. Nothing should make you sleepy in here!" Naste stood, feigning offense.

"It's not your class, it's just classrooms in general that make me sleepy." Ryo sighed.

"Oh, whatever."

"Naste." Seiji began. "Is it just me, or is this school practically empty? I mean, we barely saw anyone when we were coming in."

"It's not completely empty. I've just cancelled all of my classes until the Takai situation blows over. Most of the teachers in this wing are at lunch now. Even if they weren't, we took a roundabout route here, so most people wouldn't have seen us anyway." She explained, shutting the computer down.

"Yagyu-san?" a voice called from outside the door.

Naste jumped in her seat. "Hide!" She yelped, recognizing the voice of one of her fellow teachers. The four Troopers immediately disappeared into the rafters of the ceiling. As soon as they were completely concealed, Naste opened the door to greet a young woman about her age. "Konnichiwa, Samiya-san."

"Yagyu-san? What are you doing here? I thought you'd cancelled all of your classes until further notice." She inquired gently, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"I was just… finishing up some things." Naste answered, smiling nervously. "Checking over some things so I won't be too overwhelmed when I come back."

"Naste… are you alright?" The woman inquired gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. He pushed the door shut behind her and gave her a concerned look.

"Of course I am. Why?"

"It's just… you know… the reports." She cast her eyes around the room, trying to look anywhere except Naste.

Naste paused. "Nami, you don't really believe those dramatized lies, do you? You should know as well as everyone else in this school that I'm not crazy."

"I know… but harboring those Samurai look-alikes…" Nami looked down.

"I'm not harboring them, Nami. I'm simply giving them a place to stay. They're not criminals! You should know that. Any sensible person should be able to see that. You saw the reports. The ninjas were the ones who were actually hurting people. Samuari Troopers did nothing but protect the people. They're heros. They've been saving people from the shadows for years. No one knew who they were or even that they existed, but they risked their lives for the people of this city never the less. And when people find out what they are, they lash out? It's completely cruel. It's totally unfair." Naste clenched her teeth in her fists, not out of anger, but to keep the tears that were threatening her eyes from traveling down her cheeks.

"That's enough, Naste." A voice interrupted. Ryo dropped from the ceiling to stand behind her and place a hand on her shoulder.

Nami jumped back and nearly screamed. "It's Sanada Ryo! You're a Samurai!"

"It's alright, Nami. Ryo's a really nice guy once you look past the fact that he wears Samurai armor." Naste sniffed, placing her hand on top of his.

"You're even calling him by his first name?" Nami cried.

"Nami, Ryo is not a monster. He is a normal young man with an extraordinary gift. I think the whole problem with this city is exactly the problem you seem to have." Naste sighed. Nami kind of cocked her head. "You're so caught up in the reports and the dramatizations of the news that you've forgotten that we are talking about real human beings here. Ryo is, indeed, a human man. He has a birthday, and a favorite color, and even a favorite board game. He's no different from us. The only thing that makes him different is your perspective."

"It's alright, Naste. We can't help what others think of us. Excuse our interruption, Samiya-san." Ryo bowed and smiled. Nami paused and regarded him fora few minutes. Ryo gave her a confused look before bobbing his head toward the door, his eyes never leaving her face. It was almost as if he were trying to reinforce Naste's point with his eyes, since talking surely wasn't working. "Come on, guys. We don't want anyone to attack us here. It wouldn't be good for the school."

Sanda jumped again as Seiji, Toma, and Shin appeared in front of her. They all bowed respectively and headed out. "I'll meet you out there, minna." Naste called to them. They ran down the hall to conceal themselves behind a staircase as Naste paused to talk to Nami. "Nami… please don't tell anyone they were here."

"But… Naste, aren't they fugitives?" Nami inquired weakly.

"Nami, I'm asking you as a friend. Please, don't tell anyone they were here. They're so important to me."

"Naste!" Ryo cried, running back to stop in the doorway. "The press is here! There are a few reporters coming up the stairs, we don't know where to go from here. We gotta get out of here before they spot us."

Nami followed them into the hallway and watched as Ryo wrapped his arms around Naste's waist and jumped up to hang from the rafters of the ceiling, one arm holding them up, the other arm holding Naste. Naste sent Nami a meaningful look. "Please, Nami. I'm begging you. Don't tell them."

Nami stood in the hallway, staring at the three reporters that were appearing from the staircases. She seemed indescisive for a few seconds before waving her hands. "Hey!" The reporters looked over at her. "The Troopers were here! The Samurai Troopers were here!" she continued.

Naste held tighter to Ryo, burying her face in his neck. _No, Nami… please don't._

"They were here!" Nami repeated. The reporters rushed over to where she was standing and she opened her classroom door. "They're here!" She looked up at Ryo as the reporters disappeared into the classroom. Ryo smiled at her.

"Domo arigatou, Samiya-san." Ryo bowed and the five of them took off down the hall and disappeared down the stairs.

Nami stared after her friend as the reporters enthusiastically searched her classroom. _I'm not too sure I trust those boys, Naste, but I trust you. I know you have a good reason for what you are doing._

_>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>_

"Now where to?" Shin inquired as he lowered himself iinto the guardian tunnel to join the others.

"I dunno. Back to the house?" Naste suggested, shrugging as Seiji's armor and sword lit the tunnel's entrance.

"Nah. No good." Seiji shook his head.

"Why?" Ryo inquired. The group was not moving ahead, simply standing in one plce while they formulated a strategy.

"It wouldn't do us any good. That mob is probably still there. We haven't been gone for that long. We saw off-routes on our way here, right? Let's see where they go." Toma suggested. "Besides, Lai is probably downtown. We sould go see him."

"Good idea." Seiji agreed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"How about this one?" Ryo suggested, pointing down a tunnel that led off to the right.

"This one must lead to Shinjuku." Toma answered. "From how far we walked, and the direction of this tunnel, we're about a mile from the house. If we go that way, we should end up somewhere in downtown."

"Toma, the human atlas." Seiji whispered to Ryo. Ryo chuckled. They headed down the pathway, bouncing ideas and problems off one another.

"What do we do if they take hostages?" Ryo inquired first.

"We can't let people be sacrificed. Not only would it give us no basis for innocence, but it would also tarnish the name of Samurai Trooper. If they were to take hostanges, saving them would be our number one priority." Shin explained wisely.

"What if Lai refuses to reveal himself, though." Seiji inquired. "The public has no reason to believe he's anything more or less than a human diplomat."

"In that case, we wouldn't have any choice but to destroy him when he looks human. If we get the chance to destroy Lai, we need to take it, no matter what he looks like. He seems key to Takai's plan to turn the city against us." Toma answered.

"What if Shu shows up?" Shin asked.

"We'll just have to talk him out of Takai's control. I won't risk all those lives by taking on Kikoutei. I couldn't control myself when it was my best friends it was telling me to attack, I don't even want to think about what I could do to those whom I don't know at all." Ryo stated firmly, shivering a bit.

"Shu will do his best to kill you if you don't wear Kikoutei. Combined with Takai's power, he has the power to do it, too." Naste added quietly.

"Better us than them, Naste." Said Seiji.

Naste made a face and stopped walking, causing the others to stop in turn. "Why do you guys keep saying such things? You act as if you lives mean nothing!"

"Our lives are not worhtless, Naste, but we are charged with protecting the mortal world. If we valued our lives over others', how could we protect them. It's simply a mindset we need to have in order to do this whole saving the mortal realm thing." Shin explained solemnly.

"Because our job is to protect them, we must understand that our lives have no more value than theirs and must be ready to give our lives for them at any time. It's just the nature of our mission." Ryo continued.

"But don't worry, Naste." Toma smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. The group resumed their brisk walk down the tunnel as Toma spoke again. "We don't plan on dying any time soon."

"Yeah." Seiji smiled. "We still have things to do in our lives."

"Like play soccer!" Ryo smiled as well.

"And go swimming." Shin added.

"And sit under waterfalls." Seiji commented, getting an odd stare out of his four friends. "What?"

"And go stargazing." Toma leaned his head back and closed his eyes briefly. "Or star mingling. Depends on if I feel like shooting myself into space or not."

"Whatever. You see? You don't have anything to worry about." Ryo winked a bit before stopping in his tracks to keep from ramming into Shin, qwho had stopped first.

"What's wrong, Shin?" Seiji inquired.

"There are people up ahead." Shin answered, his sensitive ears picking up the sound of voices up ahead.

"No big deal. The city'll know we're here eventually anyway." Ryo shrugged.

"I suppose, but I can't help but feel wary." Toma said hesitantly.

"I don't blame you. After what the people have said about you…" Naste trailed off.

"Hey! Who's down there?" Yelled a young male voice from up ahead.

Ryo looked back at Seiji and Toma, who motioned for him to continue. "Uh… my name is Sanada Ryo. Me and my friends are trying to get to Shinjuku."

"Sanada Ryo!" He cried.

"Isn't that…?" a female voice inquired of nobody.

The male voice returned. "Aren't you one of the crazy guys?"

"I'm telling you, my friends and I are perfectly sane. We just need to get to Shinjuku. Does this lead into the city?" Ryo persisted.

"Yeah. But.. you guys are supposed to be killers. You aren't gonna kill us before you go, are you?" the female voice stuttered.

"We're not killers. We have no reason to harm any of you." Shin called. As the group continued foreward, they began to see a dim light, and the hum of traffic overhead was becoming louder.

"You certainly harmed all those ninja guys, didn't you?" the young man demanded.

Toma sighed. "There wasn't any blood on the scene of the battle. Those things we fought weren't even human."

"Riiiight." He female voice sighed. "So… are you guys human?"

"Of course we are. I think we've spelled that out quite clearly, quite a few times." Ryo informed them stiffly.

"Don't we look human to you?" Toma inquired as they got close enough to see whom they were talking to. It was a rather small grouping of about thirty kids, most of them very young. There were about five young men mixed in with three or four girls. There was a boy and a girl standing toward the head of the group. They guessed they were the leaders. Their clothes were all ratty, and their hair, unkempt. Dirt-encrusted skin seemed trendy for none of them looked clean.

"I suppose you do." The girl in front conceded. She was a tall, thin girl, who looked like she could move fast. Each of her ears sported at least four hoop earrings. She held out her hand to Seiji. "I'm Hoops."

Seiji took her hand gently, hoping to keep his under gear from scratching her. "I'm Date Seiji. What is this?"

"We're the Rejects. Kinda like you. Welcome aboard." A young man, looking to be about fifteen, draped an arm over Ryo's shoulders. "I'm the leader, Onset."

Ryo slipped away and held up his hands. "We didn't come here to join anything."

"I don't expect you did, buddy. But you should join while the offer's fresh. Because I'll tell you one thing that you'll find out the hard way later if you don't learn it now. Once people paint you a certain color, they never change their minds. It doesn't matter what you do or what they say. That color will never change. You guys have been painted pitch black." Onset said seriously, stepping back.

"Maybe they have, but we don't do what we do to gain popularity. We do it because it's our job. It's our mission in life." Seiji explained hesitantly.

"Perhaps it is. But this whole conflict won't last forever. What'll happen when this blows over? You guys won't be able to get good jobs, or live normally, simply because people are afraid of you. They don't trust you. Not after what they've depicted you as. You do realize that those Samurai Troopers reports are leaving the country to go all over the world tomorrow, don't you? The entire world will know what you are." The girl smiled confidently.

"We know that. But that stuff doesn't matter to us. And why do you care in the first place? We're the freaks, remember? Why should it matter to you what we do?" Toma inquired, stepping foreward.

"Crazy or not, you guys are strong. You have plenty of power to protect our group. Some of us are young and without any protection at all." Another boy, calling himself Code, motioned behind them to a grouping of small children, fiddling around with some small stones.

The group paused, seeing the children. None of them had too much clothing on their backs, but they did seem content. Content, but not happy. "Where did these kids come from?" Shin inquired, somewhat irked by the fact that the children were basically living in the ground.

"Same place a lot of us came from. Orphanages. Almost all of us are runaways. All of us, in some way, have been rejected by society, hence the name. A lot of us were abandoned, or kicked out of the house. Some are orphans, most are kids run away from orphanages." Hoops informed them.

"Run away from orphanages? Why? Wouldn't an orphanage be better than this? Living underground?" Naste cried, joining the conversation.

"Not necissarily." Said a weak voice. The groups turned their eyes on Ryo, who stood still as a stone, his eys cast to the ground.

"What would you know about it?" Onset demanded.

"Because I spent eight years in an orphanage, and I know." Ryo answered, closing his eyes. "Housing in Shinjuku is not so generous as to give an orphan a decent place to live. I know all about them. About how all the donations and earnings given to the orphanage usually go to the owner personally. How cruel the punishments are for those who disobey. How bad the living conditions sometimes are. I know… and I can understand why you prefer this life to that of an orphanage."

"If you know, then how can you not help us?" Code asked.

"Simply by remembering that my duty is to something greater than to just one city or group." Ryo finally looked up. "But I will promise you one thing. As long as I remain in this world, I will do my best to protect you."

The Rejects paused at his promise. "You mean… you will help us?" Hoops breathed. Ryo smiled and nodded.

"After going through what I did, how can I do anything less than give you my word?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Running from the news? Chatting with a sensei? Hanging out with orphan waifs? This is trying my patience." Takai leaned his head on his hand and sighed a bit. "Command Lai to move. You two go with him."

"Ho!" Kuri nodded and bowed.

Beside her, Shu scowled at Takai. "Baka yarou(1)." He huffed.

Kuri raised her hand to strike. "How dare you speak that way to Master Takai!"

"Yamero(2), Kuri!" Takai barked. Obediantely, Kuri's hand halted its decend toward Shu's face. "You have to understand that Shu's mind is his own here, while only his body is mine."

Shu spat at both Kuri and Takai. "I'll die before I kill any of my friends!"

"Actually, you'll die immediately after you've killed Seiji, Shin, and Toma, and brought Ryo to me. Once I'm finished with Ryo, you'll all be together in the next world." Takai smirked. "Now, let's go!"

Shu wailed as Takai took control again, but there was nothing Shu could do about it. Takai was allowing Shu to control his own mind when he was in the netherrealm. Shu had no real control at all. He looked up again, a dead look in his blue eyes. "Ho!" He cried, bowing.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"So, this is solid metal?" Hoops inquired. She knocked on Shin's shoulder.

"Ah." Shin smiled as a young five-year-old, given the nickname Kodo, approached and began to examine him. Shin refrained from using his kanji to force the child to trust him, and simply observed him as he made his little way around him, touching the metal of his under gear from time to time. Shin's face suddenly hardened. _These children and teenagers are who we are battling to protect. This innocence is what we are fighting for. _The child finally smiled and proudly patted Shin's knee, giving him his own innocent approval. Shin smiled as Hoops picked Kodo up and looked at Shin.

"I'm sorry. Kodo likes to inspect everything." She laughed. "He's already inspected all the others."

Shin bowed, smiling. "I am glad to have passed your test, Kodo." He smiled at the boy, who hid his face over Hoop's shoulder.

Hoops paused. "So… you fight these ninjas that are… not human?"

Shin shrugged. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"Someone has to do it." Shin smiled, as if dismissing it as a simple chore.

"But… well, no offense, but you look way too gentle to be a fighter." Hoops cocked her head a bit. "No matter how I look at you, I don't see a warrior."

Shin smiled. "I am glad you say that."

Hoops blinked. "Why? Wouldn't you want to look like a warrior?"

Shin shook his head. "Not really, no. You see, though I accept my fate as a Samurai Trooper, I want nothing more to live a normal life. But, I know I can't. Being told that anything about me seems normal is like a breath of fresh air and a compliment." He looked at the others timidly. "I think the others feel the same way."

"Really? Well, I'm here to tell you that you seem like a very normal man." Hoops nodded.

"Arigitou." Shin smiled and was silent for a bit before changing the subject. "So… does everyone here have a nickname, rather than a real name?"

"Yes."

"Why? Why not just stick with your real name?"

"Well, most of us don't remember our birth names. Some of us were orphaned or abandoned shortly after birth and so were never named at all. Either way, the nicknames are somewhat of an equalizer, so that no one person is above the other. It keeps us together, you know? And second, it sets us apart from everyone else. If you think about it, it gives us even more of an identity than a real name would."

"Makes sense, I suppose." Shin shrugged.

"Guys! Youja! Let's go!" Ryo suddenly shouted, jumping up and climbing through a small trap door set in the roof of the tunnel, leading to the street above. Seiji and Toma soon followed, and Naste was close behind.

Shin lingered for a moment as Hoops rounded on him. "What's going on, Shin?"

Shin's eyes narrowed. "There's about to be a battle. Stay down here. It's no longer safe up top." Shin ran past Hoops and Kodo before jumping out of the tunel. He found himself in a small alleyway, obviously in downtown Shinjuku, judging by the hustle and bustle he was hearing from the streets before him. Speaking of the hustle and bustle of the streets, there certainly was a lot of commotion going on around the street that lay in front of him. He quickly closed up the opening that led into the guardian tunnel, and self-consciously pushed his way into the crowd, until he reached the center. A circle clear of all padestrians, wide as the street itself was surrounded by a large crowd, staring at the three people in the center of the clearing. The three were Lai, some unknown ninja woman, and Shu. "Shu!" Shin lurched foreward, coming fully into the clearing. Shu simply smirked at him.

Lai smirked as well. "Welcome, Suiko no Shin." He motioned around himself. "You've found your fan club." He chuckled sarcastically.

Shin's eyes darted back and forth, taking note of his comrades' positions among the crowd. "Come on, Lai!" He said, turning his focus back on the man. "Give it up! Show everyone what you really are!" He held up his hand and his Suiko yari obediantly stretched into it. He swung it behind his back and tensed. "Come on!"

"Calm down, Suiko no Shin. We don't want to hurt you. We only want to… help you." Lai said calmly, but his eyes protraying his words' true meaning.

Shin suddenly charged at Lai, his spear pointing straight ahead. In a split second, Shu had reached out to the side and grabbed a young woman from the crowd. He wrapped his hands around her neck and smiled once again at Shin. "Hold it right there, Samurai Trooper!" Shin had no choice but to obey. "Make another move, and I'll sqeeze. You know Shu's strength. Even with the slightest bit of pressure, Shu can snap her neck."

The woman began to scream frantically, clawing at the hands, which bound her neck. "Someone help! Police!"

Shu shook her a bit. "Do you honestly think they can do anything about this? The police are powerless. They can do nothing for you right now."

Suddenly the girl was gone, being carried in Toma's strong arms. "But the guy in blue can still lend a hand!" Toma landed on a building and set the girl down. Wait here." He commanded. "I'll come back for you."

The girl edged away. "Just go." She sqeaked, her body shivering with fear.

Toma took a step foreward. "I promise you, Miss, I'm not going to hurt you." She still made no movement to accept him.

"Why are you doing this?" She demanded harshly.

"Doing what?"

"Protecting us? We don't need your help. We are fine without you five!" she spat.

"Even if you don't need our help, we are still here. We are here, not to make a name for ourselves, but just to keep everything spinning. That is all, and nothing more." Toma then disappeared over the edge of the building to rejoin the battle.

The boys had surrounded Lai, Shu, and the new female ninja, decked out in sub-armor, and weapons held in each hand. "Leave Shu now, Takai!" Seiji yelled, taking a few steps foreward. Shu simply smirked before rushing at Seiji and slamming his shoulder into Seiji's front. Seiji dropped his sword as he flew through the window of a clothing store and landed in a large pile of shirts. The few people shopping inside immediately rushed to see what projectile had ruined the window.

"Seiji!" Toma ran toward the store, but was met by Shu's bo halfway. Toma doubled over before Shu kicked him again in the stomach, sending him flying into a large crowd of people. There was a lound murmur of displeasure from the crowd at the beating of Seiji and Toma.

"I thought you said you wanted to help them!"

"Why are you doing this?"

"You'll kill them if you're not careful!"

"I'm beginning to think you're the bad ones around here!"

Ryo smiled, but held his hand out to the side as Shin prepared to run at Shu. "Matte, Shin!"

"What?"

"Don't attack Shu, right now. Attack Lai and that girl. They have closer connections to Takai and probably know how to get Takai away from him. You get the girl! I'll get Lai!" Ryo answered, running at the enemy. Shin charged at the woman, who had drawn two long daggers from her belt.

"Chodando!" Shu raised his bo above his head and it began to spin around. Ryo and Shin stopped in their tracks and dashed over to stand in front of Shu, the only thing between him and the large crowd. "Gan Tessai(3)!" He slammed his bo into the earth and it began to roar. The ground shook and the energy began racing at Ryo and Shin, uprooting cement as it went, sending concrete flying everywhere. Red and blue auras appeared to absorb the atack. The energy slammed into the auras, and to the relief of Ryo and Shin, was stopped. There was a small amount of power that slipped past the auras to slam into the two men, but not one drop of power had touched those they were trying to protect. Ryo and Shin remained on their feet, using their weapons to steady themselves.

"What now, Ryo? Shu's protecting them." Shin pointed out, standing and aiming the point of his spear at the ememies.

"I don't know. Takai has increased Shu's power too much for us to put up a fight against." Ryo admitted, standing as well, and crossing his swords in front of himself.

Shin stared at Shu for a long moment before racing foreword. _Get Lai, Ryo!_

Ryo looked at Shin for a moment before obeying and running at Lai. The female ninja appeared between them, the two ready daggers in her hands. "Sorry, Rekka. You'll have to get through me first. No show me what you've got!" Ryo raised his swords above his head and threw them down at the girl. She held her daggers up and caught the blades. She gave Ryo a wink through the square created by the four blades. "Hey… I'm Kuri. You're a cute one, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Ryo gritted his teeth.

"Too bad we have to kill you." She purred, smiling.

"Shut up! You sound a lot like Arago. Why are you and your master so intent on getting revenge on us!" he demanded.

"Well, you see, when you took out Arago, you took out a valuable ally of ours. Though our power is in no way diminished, it was rather rude and annoying. Besides, you do realize what kind of power you hold. It would be very valuable to have in a tough situtation. We saw that you weren't busy at the moment, so we decided that perhaps you'd be free to fight us."

"You want to kill us because you're annoyed?" Ryo asked monotonely, raising an eyebrow.

"To put it simply, yes. But you know, you wouldn't have to die if you would accept Master Takai as your Lord. You'd live and gain unimaginable power. It's good offer, really." Kuri suddenly twisted her daggers to rest right under the hilts of his swords. With a powerful flick of her wrists, his swords were sent flying out of his grasp. She rushed foreward and grabbed Ryo's shoulder. She quickly spun him around and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, crossing her daggers in front of his throat and pressing the edges to his skin. "And I think I can get a good word in for you."

"In your dreams, lady." Ryo grunted, gritting his teeth.

Kuri put more pressure on the knives. "You sure about that, Rekka no Ryo? Say no, and I'll be forced to end your life right here." Ryo growled and narrowed his eyes.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Busso… Suiko!"

The blue light dimmed and Shin stood, decked out in his Suiko armor. The faceplates slid apart, and he fixed Shu with a stern glare. "You're going down, Takai."

"Bring it on, young one." Shu goaded, motioning toward himself. A flash of orange armor signaled Kongo's arroival. The orange armor clamped itself over his subarmor and he swung his Bo around to place it behind him. Shin charged head on as Lai watched patiently by the side. He smiled at the looks of growing panick on the people surrounding them. This would be sure to tarnish the names of the Samurai Troopers. As soon as the other four Samurai were knocked down hard enough, Takai would probably have Shu destroy everyone and everything in sight. Then he'd capture Ryo and destroy the other four. Then, Takai could torture Ryo to death and conquer the mortal world, all in one fell swoop.

Shu side-stepped the younger man's attack, and slammed his fist into the side of Shin's helmet. Shin stumbled back ward, a low tone sounding in his ears as his helmet resonated with the force fo the blow. Shu laughed and grabbed Shin's wrist to lift him above his head. He then threw the Trooper into the cement, making a rather large dent in the street. He then stepped away and twirled his bo absently. "What's the matter, Suiko? Lost your spirit?"

Shin growled and managed to get to his feet, tightly gripping his yari. Shu surely was a lot stronger when Takai controlled him. He raised his yari up and threw it down at Shu's head, but was stopped by Shu's bo as it caught the weapon, holding it away. Shin grunted and put more pressure on his weapon. He didn't think it would do him any good. Shu was much strong than he was anyway. Shu pushed Shin into the air slightly before slamming his bo into the man's stomach and sending him flying. Shin landed on his stomach, fighting to stay awake. He coughed and stared at the blood, which hit the ground before him. He saw the orange of Shu's armor stop in front of him and he reached for his dropped Yari. Shu's foot slammed down on his hand, and Shin yelped. "Playtime's over." Shu growled, retrieving Shin's yari and aiming the point at Shin's back. Shin cringed and awaited the blow, but none came. He looked up to see a golden shaft sitting before him. He smiled at Toma, who stood about ten feet away, fully in armor, and his bow in his hands. He fitted another arrow and aimed for Shu.

"Drop the weapon!" Toma cried.

Shu grolwed and let the yari fall to rest beside Shin once more. But in an instant, he lashed out his bo, the chain releasing and swinging the end of the bo outward to strike Toma in the face and send him reeling backward. Shin took the chance to grab Shu's ankle and trip him while standing and grabbing his Yari. He jumped up and over Shu to stand next to Toma. Shu was already on his feet as Shin landed. The two boys glared at Shu as he rushed at them, his nun chaku out and swinging around on either side.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Well, Ryo? How about it?" Kuri whispered, smiling and moving foreward to press her checck against his. "You wanna join the club?"

"No." Ryo growled, bracing himself for what he knew was coming.

"Aww…" She cooed, gripping the daggers tighter, ready to draw them apart to slice open the vunerable throat of her victim. "Too bad."

"Get off of him, Lady!" Seiji screamed, darting from the doorway of the clothing store and charging at her. Kuri's eyes widened, and she grunted. Seiji dropped his weapon suddenly and fell to the ground, sliding to rest right beneath Kuri's daggers. He grabbed Ryo's ankles and yanked him toward the ground, pulling him from Kuri's grasp. Seiji then jumped away, followed by Ryo. The two held out their hands, and their weapons floated to rest in their fingers.

"Yoroi, Seiji!" Ryo commanded, throwing his hands into the air, his swords vanishing.

"Ah!" Seiji agreed. There were two bright flashes of green and red as the armors responded. Theier weapons once again came to their hands, and they prepared for a fight. Kuri narrowed her eyes at them and sniffed.

"I'm sorry, Samurai, but I think I'll have to cut our playtime short today." She smirked and sheathed her daggers, throwing a kiss to Ryo. "I'll be back later, kiddo."

Ryo rolled his eyes and looked to Seiji. Seiji was giving him an odd stare. Ryo shrugged. "What?"

"What's with the affectionate looks?" He laughed lightly. "I think she likes you."

Ryo growled and placed his sword-laden fists on his hips. "Oh, stop it. Stay focused, will you?" He heard a light chuckle come from the crowd. "Besides, it's embarrassing enough when I _don't_ have an entire city staring at me."

"Whatever." Seiji waved him off and turned his attention on Lai, who didn't quite look the same as before. He pulled his suit jacket off and smirked at them as his clothes began to morph and change to that black suit of a ninja.

He smirked and pulled two whips from the harnesses on his sides. "Having fun, Samurai Troopers?" he laughed.

Seiji smirked. "Good job, Lai. You've just shown the whole city what you are."

Lai relaxed his stance and shrugged. "No matter. This is your final battle. Shu will kill all of you, and Master Takai will take hold of the Kikoutei and use it to conquer the mortal and the nether realms. You have nothing to fear, and neither to we."

Ryo clicked his swords together and growled. "We'll se about that."

Seiji waved his hand at him. "Iie, Ryo. If you use an attack now, you'll kill a bunch of people."

Lai laughed. "You're pretty smart, Korin. Perhaps we could use your talents in the netherworld." He raised his whips and they began to slither around behind him, as if they had minds of their own. "I assure you, the pay is a lot better than it is if you're a Samurai Trooper. What do you say?"

Ryo raised an eyebrow. "What's with you people? You claim you want to kill us, but you then turn and ask us to join you?"

Seiji sighed. "Get it through your skulls. We're not interested in joining your club!" Seiji yelled, rushing at Lai. Lai's whips shot out, coiling about Seiji's blade before sending a powerful jolt of dark energy into it. Seiji yelped, but quickly gathered his wits and surged his own power into the blade, battling with the crackling power.

"Seiji!" Ryo rused in and slashed his sword down at the whip, but rather than allow the blade to cut through the cord, the weapon was repelled, sending Ryo reeling backward. Ryo charged again, but Seiji growled.

"No, Ryo. It's no good. I'll deal with him."

"Seiji!"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Shu, you have got to snap out of this! You know we can't kill you!" Toma yelled at his friend, holding Shu's bo away from his head with his own bow. "You've got to wake up!"

"Of course I know you can't kill Shu, Toma. Why do you think I posessed him?" Shu laughed, pressing down harder. "You Samurai are too weak to do anything about it. You're too afraid to make sacrifices. I assure you that if you killed Shu, this plan would be absolutely twarted."

"I'd never do something like that to him! He has no control over what he's doing! He shouldn't be punished for this!" Toma yelled angrily, his strength flaring and allowing him to shove Shu back a few steps.

"It's that sort of sappy thinking that will be your downfall, Samurai!" Shu chuckled and spun around to slam his foot into Shin's side. Shin grunted, but remained on his feet. He wrapped his arms around Shu's foot and held him in place. Shu smirked and brought his bo across Shin's temple, sending him staggering back. "If there's one thing you five are not, it's unpredictable."

"Shu!" Shin growled, holding his side with one arm, his head with the other. "Shu! You've got to wake up! If you don't wake up, who knows how Takai will exploit your power!"

Shu shrugged and did a few fancy twirls with his bo. "You don't seem to get it, do you? Shu can no longer hear you. He's gone, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Shin growled a bit louder before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes._ Maybe I can… I sure hope this works._ He sighed and allowed his hands to drop to his sides, his head tipped up, and his kanji glowing softly. _Please hear me… SHU!_

Shu felt Shin's energy knock him. He growled. "Get out of there, you little parasite!" He cried, charging at him. Toma had no idea what was going on, but he could see that Shin had something going. He just needed to keep Shu away from him long enough for Shin's method to take effect. He quickly fitted an arrow to his bow and let it fly, impaling the ground mere feet away from where Shu was. Shu stopped and turned to look back at Toma, giving the latter time enough to leap over Shu, standing between the posessed Trooper, and the concentrating one. _I hope you know what you're doing, Shin._

_Shu… do you know my voice?_ Shin thought desperately, grabbing hold of Shu's energy and holding on with all his might. He could feel Shu lash against his own, attampting to pry his energy away, but Shin had a death grip on it. Shin had his attention, and he wasn't letting go. _Answer me, Shu! Do you know my voice?_

_I… I can't… Shin?_

_Yes, Shu! It's me! Do you realize what's happened?_

_I don't know… I'm so tired… so tired…_

_No, Shu! Don't go! You've gotta break Takai's hold on you!_

_Takai?_

_Yes! Can you feel him inside you?_

_Something's… talking… someone's here… in my head. He's guiding me…_

_No! He's not guiding you! He's manipulating you! You've gotta get him out!_

Shu grunted and backed away from where he was trying to run Toma through with the blade at the end of his bo. He gripped his head, and dropped his bo, growling loudly. "No… you can't have him back… he's mine!"

"Shu! Can you hear me? Please, Shu!" Toma cried, running up to stand in front of him, throwing his weapon down. He gripped Shu's shoulders and began to shake him.

_Takai… he's… he's using me…_

_Yes! Exactly! Fight him, Shu! Gain control of your body again!_

"Shu! Wake up! Please!" Toma yelled again and again, forcing his own energy into Shu, powering his spirit up, in hopes that it would aide Shin in whatever he was doing. "Shu!"

_Fight him Shu! Fight him!_

_I… I can't… he's too strong…_

_What? Shu! You are one of the strongest men I've ever met! You're plenty strong enough to get rid of him! Just do it!_ Shin could almost visualize the two of them standing there. The world around them was dark. Shin stood in a beam of light, and in front of him sat Shu, his arms and legs bound with chains, holding him to the ground. He could feel an invisiable wall erect itself between them. Shu could hear him encourage him to stand, but Shin could not physically pull him to his feet. The most he could do was send his support to him.

_I'm not strong enough to do this, alright?_ _Takai's too strong for me!_

_Shut up, Shu! You once told me that I was strong. You told me that I am Suiko… that I complete the circle of five. I now repeat that to you! You are stronger than me, Shu. You can break out of this! You are Kongo! You complete the circle of five. You can do this! And even if you truly can't, it couldn't hurt to try._ Shu felt Shin's mind begin to withdraw, his energy mostly spent.

_No, Shin!_ _Don't leave me! Please! Please help me!_

_You don't need my help anymore, Shu. You're the only one who can stop Takai right now. _With that, Shin sighed and allowed his mind to retreat back into his own body, giving it a jolt. Shin opened his eyes and gave a heavy sigh. His energy was drained, but by no means gone. He gripped his yari firmly and ran foreward to join Toma, who still had a firm grip on Shu's shoulders. "Toma!"

_Get out of my head…_

"Shut up!"

_Get out of my head._

"Stop this! This is madness!" Shu yelled as Toma released him, allowing him to grip his head.

_Get out of my head!_

"Stop it! Your resistance is nothing more than a jest!" Shu laughed, though the other two could tell Takai was losing it.

_Get out of my head!_

"I've had enough of you!" Shu yelled angrily. His body flashed a bright red light for a few minutes beofre dying down, and a low laugh was heard. Toma and Shin tensed when they saw Shu. His headband had been ripped away, and his eyes now glowed a deep red. "I keep telling you, no one can resist my posessions for very long."

Toma and Shin called their weapons to them once again and prepared themselves for an attack. Shu's bo once again flew into his hand and he ran at the two, allowing a loud battle cry to issue from his throat. Shin whimpered slightly and sent out a pulse of energy. _Shu!_

Shu froze in his tracks. The bo hit the ground once more, this time bursting into Sakura blossoms. He dropped to his knees and growled, his entire body shaking. "Fight it, Shu!" Toma encouraged him, lowering his weapon.

_If you won't get out of my head, I'll make you powerless… and I'll take you down with me._ Shu's body glowed bright orange before allowing a bright beam of light to disappear into Ryo's body about ten feet away. Ryo gasped loudly and dropped to his knees in surprise. He had been watching the struggle between Seiji and Lai until the power had unexpectedly exploded into his body. He groaned and looked back at Shu. Shu was completely still. Ryo felt relief mixed in with the pain of the overwhelming power. Shu was successfully fighting back. He yelled as the power continued to churn inside him, his body not fit to handle the immense overload.

"Help me!" He yelped. He felt more power flood him as Shin and Toma send their power as well. It almost seemed that the more power he received, the more the pain was driven away. He didn't want to put Kikoutei on, but he was willing to risk it, if only to get rid of the pain. He looked up at Seiji. Seiji had been relieved of his duties as Lai backed away from both Ryo and Shu. Takai's plans were suddenly falling apart. Seiji knew what Ryo was thinking. Ryo certainly didn't want to don Kikoutei again, but it couldn't be helped. Ripping that much power from him could kill him, and if he didn't receive the power he needed to release and form the white armor, the power churning inside him would eventually explode, taking him with it. Seiji nodded and focused his energy before shooting it right at Ryo. Ryo shot to his feet, his eyes glowing an eerie white color. "Busso… Kikoutei!" Ryo screamed.

Seiji turned his attention back to the demon behind him. But when he looked, the enemy was nowhere to be seen. The coward had retreated when Ryo had called his white armor. Seiji smirked and turned his attention on the last point of interest, Shu. Shu was still on his knees, shaking. Seiji narrowed his eyes and tossed his sword away, the weapon dissolving into sakura blossoms in thin air before it struck anyone in the crowd. He raced over to where the others were standing around Shu. "Shu!" Shu looked up at him, along with Shin and Toma. "You've gotta wake up now! If Ryo comes over here, and Kikoutei takes over again, he'll kill you! Don't give him that chance! Wake up Shu!"

_You're going down, Takai!_ Shu shouted at the unseeable force, which now controlled his mind and body.

_You wish, boy._ The gruff voice protested.

_I won't be killed by one of my best friends because some freak decided to borrow my body._ _You understand me!_

_You're not nearly as strong as you think you are. You can't get rid of me. Your body and mind belong to me, now, Kongo!_

_You underestimate me. I'll get you out of my head if it kills me, Takai!_ Shu cried angrily. He thought of Shin's earlier words and felt confidence flood his veins.

Shu sunk to the ground, supporting himself by both his hands and his knees. His growl soon turned to a yell of effort and pain. Seiji and Toma continued to shout encouragement to him as a bright red glow surrounded his body. Seiji looked back to see that Ryo had successfully donned the Kikoutei, but was simply standing in the same spot, not moving a bit. Ryo was keeping himself still for as long as he could. At least until they had Shu out of Takai's grasp. Seiji was tempted to run over and pull the Kikoutei helmet from his friend's head, but his attention was on Shu now. And even if he were to try and take the armor off, Ryo would most likely turn on him, and then go after Shu as the armor acted up.

_Stop this, boy! You have no power to get rid of me! It is madness for you to even consider that you might throw me away._

_I'm going to tell you one more time… GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_

With one more yelled, the bright red light that had surrounded his body burst outward as if a skin had been shed then thrown away. He was still after that, simply panting and staring at the ground. Shin stepped foreward and placed a hand on his shoulder, followed closely by Toma and Seiji. "Shu?" Shin whispered, smiling. Shu looked up, his dark blue eyes sparkling with the life that had been so badly missed during his mind's absence.

"Shin… I'm… gomen." Shu stuttered, his voice weak and cracked by panting.

Shin smiled wider. "Don't worry about anything. You're back. And that's all that matters."

"Thank you, Shin." Shu breathed.

"I didn't do much of anything. You forced Takai from your own mind. That wasn't my doing." Shin shook his head.

"But you still… helped me…" Shu sighed and his arms gave out, dropping his upper body fully to the ground. Shin caught him and smiled up at Toma and Seiji.

"He's back." Shin laughed.

Seiji sighed heavily, relief evident on his face. "Thank God."

Toma smiled, but his smile soon vanished as he caught sight of the white figure looming behind Seiji. "Seiji! Move!"

Seiji whipped his head around and moved out of the way just in time to avoid a slam in the head, courtesy of Ryo's fists. Seiji narrowed his eyes. Ryo had had the armor on too long for him to keep his will to himself. Kikoutei had once again seduced him. "Ryo please!" He yelled as loud as he dared. Ryo's cold pale blue eyes, which seemed to signify that Kikoutei had taken over, glared maliciously at him, and a wicked smile not belonging to Ryo was curving his lips. "Stop this! Take the armor off! It's manipulating you again!"

_How dare he order me to do such a thing! He's no friend of mine if he orders you to disarm myself with all these enemies around! The traitor._ Ryo found himself thinking. But it was almost as if an inhuman mind voice was echoing behind his own. He did not question it, though. It seemed to know what it was talking about, and after all, it was right. _I can't have such a slanderous teammate with me. I'll have to get rid of him._

"Slanderous traitor!" Ryo yelled angrily, rushing at Seiji, his fist extended.

"Seiji!" Toma yelled.

_I'll cut him down with his own weapon. Wait… cut Seiji down…?_

_No!_ Ryo stopped in his tracks and his fist dropped to his side. _Seiji's trying to help me… isn't he?_

_Of course he isn't. Look at all these people around me. All the people of the city. They all want me and the others banished and killed simply because I am what I am. They hate me, and I have to destroy them! And Seiji obviously wants them to kill me, because he's trying to get me to disarm myself. I need to kill him before I go on with my mission._

"Ryo?" Shin whispered from behind him.

_And Shin and Toma are with Seiji. They all have to die. Not only do they want me dead, they're disrupting my perfect void!_ Ryo's eyes narrowed. _It's completely logical and reasonable._ "Yes." Ryo mumbled aloud, as if talking to someone.

"Eh? Ryo, is that you?" Toma inquired, taking a few steps toward him.

"It's me. And I'm about to carry out my mission." He answered, his voice low. His hand flashed out and wrapped around Toma's neck. He pulled him close and gave a smirk. "You're first. This is what happens when people try and defy me."

"Toma!" Seiji took a few cautious steps foreward.

Ryo suddenly released the blue-haired warrior and lurched foreward as Shin slammed his shoulder into his back. Ryo spun around to attack, but Seiji and Toma lept into action, grabbing his arms and pulling them straight back, forcing Ryo to his knees. "Let me go!" Ryo screamed angrily, squirming. "They're trying to kill us!"

"Who, Ryo?" Shin inquired sharply, running up to stand behind Ryo. Ryo moved his legs so he got his right foot on the ground. But before he could launch himself onto his feet, Shin pushed his palms to Ryo's shoulders, forcing him to remain still. Ryo's foot was forced back to its former position, and he was once again completely on his knees. But now they were stuck. Ryo wasn't going to be able to take the armor off in his position, and it was all Seiji, Toma, and Shin could do to keep him from regaining his footing. Shin narrowed his eyes. "Who's trying to kill us?"

"This city! Shinjuku has gone crazy! They're trying to kill me, and they're trying to kill you, so I'm going to destroy it!" Ryo yelled back as Shin pushed harder, forcing the trapped man's face to stare at the road.

"That's the armor talking, Ryo! You've gotta separate your will from the armor's before you do something you'll regret!" Seiji reasoned.

"There is nothing wrong with me!" Ryo attempted to jerk back and forth, but the boys held fast. "I'm telling you the truth! This city doesn't deserve to exist, so I'm going to purge it!"

"Ryo, don't your ealize that you sound like a Netherworld Lord! Purge the city? Destroy those who want us dead? You sound like Arago, or Takai even!" Toma cried gruffly. "Have you forgotten that you're supposed to protect this world with that armor? You'd be doing the exact opposite if you went through with this! You're obliged to use that armor a certain way!"

"What about my life? Am I obliged to allow it to be taken away!" Ryo demanded.

"They're not trying to kill you, Ryo!" Shin cried. He sighed suddenly. The armor's will had completely taken over. Ryo wouldn't listen to logic anymore. "Naste!" He looked up, spotting her brown head amongst the crowd. She pushed her way to the center, giving them a panicked look once she saw Ryo's predicament.

"Pull his helmet off!" Seiji commanded, tightening his hold on Ryo's arm. "We've got him!"

Naste nodded and gripped the two horns on the helmet. Ryo shook his head back and forth. "No, Naste! Don't!" A burst of energy sent Naste flying back into the crowd, but the three men held on tight. Naste hit the ground and sat up, severely dazed.

"Naste!" Shin cried.

"Kodo! No!" cried a female voice as a small figure burst from the crowd and ran up to stand in front of Ryo. Shin looked up as a girl followed.

"Hoops!" Shin cried, as Kodo reached a small hand toward Ryo. "Kodo, no! Get away from here!"

Kodo raised a tiny eyebrow, but his hand continued to travel toward Ryo's face. He finally slipped both hands under the side of Ryo's helmet to touch his face. He gave him a long, innocent look. "You no scary man, 'fore…"

Ryo froze._ The Rejects. Oh yeah. I remember them now. I promised… I promised I would protect them. No… I won't kill them, just the rest of the city. But what about them? They are rejected like us. But they aren't… What am I doing?_ His eyes squeezed shut, and he grunted.

_What am I thinking? I have to destroy this whole place!_

"No… they're not my enemies!"

_They are my enemies!_

"Stop! Someone help me!" Ryo screamed.

Shin looked up, desperate in Ryo's attempt to fight the armor. "Some one, please! Get the helmet off of him!"

Hoops had just reached the group, and after a millisecond of pause, she gripped Ryo's helmet and began to pull. As soon as she retained her equillibrium, Naste dashed in to help. The two of them pulled with all their might, and after a few tense seconds, the helmet gave way, dropping solidly to the ground. The white armor brust in a flurry of white sakura blossoms, leaving Ryo in his Rekka armor. He looked up as his three friends released him. He gave Naste and Hoops a grateful smile before giving Kodo a long grateful look. "Gomen… nasai." With that, his body pitched foreward, his Rekka armor dissolving into petals, and hitting the pavement with a dull thud.

"Ryo!" Naste raced over and knelt by his head. Seiji met her there and scooped Ryo into his arms. Toma and Shin were there immediately, Toma carrying Shu.

A man dressed in a blue uniform suddenly pushed his way into the center of the crowd, a pistol held in his hands. "Freeze! Hands up! All of you!" He cried shakily. He was visibly terrified, but he was trying to be brave. Sirens of police cars could be heard in the distance as the rest of the police squad attempted to get through the crowd.

The Samuari and Naste turned to look at him. Naste stepped foreward. "What's wrong, officer?"

"We're taking these boys into custody for now." He answered weakly. "Hands up!" He shouted again as Seiji shifted Ryo's weight in his arms. He seemed extremely jumpy, as every little move they made seemed to jump his heart.

"You don't have a warrant for their arrest, though." Naste stated matter-of-factly.

"But we do have permission from the chief of police to bring you all in for interrogation."

"Please, sir. We need to get home. Ryo and Shu are hurt and need their rest." Shin commented, stepping foreward. The policeman tensed violently and his grip on his gun tightened.

"Shin…" Naste looked up at him. She was plesantly surprised that his kanji was not glowing. Shin gave her a meaningful look before turning back to look at the officer. "Shin… will you…?"

"Only if I have to. We can't afford to get caught at this point. But I also don't want to force anything on him if I don't have to." He whispered back.

"Just leave them alone!" A girl holding a small boy suddenly appeared between the police and the Samurai. "They just saved us after all we've put them through!"

"Hoops!" Shin cried quietly.

Another boy ran to stand next to her. "They haven't done anything worht being arrested over."

"Onset!" Naste breathed, recognizing the new boy.

"We all painted them as murderers and some people even attacked their house!" Hoops yelled. The policeman lowered his weapon, not out of submission, but rather for the safety of the children defenting the Troopers.

"And yet, they risked their lives to save us! They're heros!" Onset continued.

"Hoops… Onset… We're not-!" Shin began, but was cut off by Hoops.

"You are, Shin. The world needs you. Go." She smiled, as did Kodo in her arms.

"Arigitou." Shin smiled as Naste approached and wrapped her arms around his neck. Toma and Seiji were gone in a flash, heading at top speed for the house. The policeman yelled at them to stop, but dared not shoot. Just before Shin locked his arms around Naste's waist and jumped off after his friends, Naste saw Shin's kanji flare to life on his forehead. The policeman's cries were immediately silenced. Naste gave him a remorseful look. "Shin."

"I know. I shouldn't use my armor to force people to trust us, but we don't have time for interrogations. Time is too precious, and watching for Takai's next move is crucial." Shin answered quietly. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Kitty-chan: Thank God I got that one over with. Things are moving along pretty fast now. Alright! First order of business, Translations! We actually have some this time.

1 Baka yarou: Stupid bastard (Bad Shu... again)  
2 Yamero: Stop  
3 Gan Tessai: Iron Rock Crusher

Alright... now the preview!

* * *

"That thing will eat his will alive if we don't figure out how to control it soon."

* * *

"Now, Ryo, tell me why you have the armor!" Seiji cried, force in his voice.

* * *

"D-D-Dad! What are you doing here!"

* * *

Yay! I love the next chapter, so I hope to get it up soon. Love ya all! Review! 


	9. Day Nine: Complications and Ryo's Will

Kitty-chan: Yay! Chapter nine! This one took longer than I expected, but not as long as chapter eight. Whoo! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I really like it. Uh... I don't own Samurai Troopers. They are property of Sunrise Inc. Uh... yeah. Oh! Just really quick, thanks for all the reviews! I love hearing feedback. Keep it up! Love ya!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji  
Byakuen: White Blaze  
Yamano Jun: Yuli Yamano

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock  
Kikoutei: Inferno  
Go Retsu Ken: Soul Swords of Fervor

Enjoy! The stuff with ( ) next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

"He got closer this time." Seiji commented through the steam coming off his tea.

"Hmm?" Toma looked up and raised an eyebrow. "What are we talking about here?"

"Ryo. The Kikoutei got him closer this time. Last time, he merely reacted to Toma attacking him. This time, he looked ready to kill everyone in sight." Seiji continued. "That thing will eat his will alive if we don't figure out how to control it soon."

"Eat his will? What do you mean?" Naste wondered, seating herself at the table and pouring herself a cup of orange juice.

"If he doesn't figure out how to control that armor, it will completely destroy his will, and he will become a mindless puppet, unwilling and unable to do anything other than what others tell him to do. He'll lose his will completely." Seiji predicted.

"But how does he learen to control something that takes away his will to oppose it?" Shin inquired immediately.

"He has to learn how to make his will stronger. He has to learn how to keep Kikoutei's will from affecting his." Seiji answered quietly, as if thinking about his own answer. _But how can he learn to do that? Whenever the Kikoutei is put on, it destroys his view of things. It forces him to see things as they are not. It completely takes away his perspective. Wait… Perspective! That's it!_

"Mind if I cut in on the conversation?" asked a voice from the kitchen doorway. Four heads turned and smiles lit up faces as Shu sauntered into the kitchen, smiling gently. "Ohayo, everyone."

"Shu! How are you?" Shin called excitedly, standing.

"I feel fine, actually. A bit sore, though. I don't remember much of yesterday." Shu's face lost its light and he sent a remorseful look to Shin. "Did I do anything horribly wrong?"

Toma smiled. "Don't worry about that. We're all fine, and you're back. That's really all that matters now." Shu didn't look too encouraged, but his face relaxed and he looked around. "Where's Ryo? He not up yet?"

"No. Kikoutei really did a number on him. He's probably still asleep." Toma predicted. He looked to Naste, who nodded and headed upstairs.

"Oh yeah… right… Kikoutei. I can only remember giving my power to him a few times. What's the deal with that thing?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Ryo?" Naste gently called, quietly entering the bedroom and heading over to the bed. Finding it vacant, she looked to the open balcony window. Ryo was standing on the balcony, staring out at the sun that reflected off the lake's glassy surface. A blanket was hung loosely about his shoulders, and he was swaying ever-so-slightly, as if he had just woken up. "Ryo? Are you alright?"

"What do I do now, Naste? We're at a dead end. I can't use Kikoutei, and Takai's still out there." Ryo's voice lacked force, and was slightly hoarse.

"Well, you got Shu back, didn't you?" Naste walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. "That's a step in the right direction, isn't it? Now you can spend more time concentrating on how to deal with Kikoutei, rather than worry about Takai's use of Shu."

"I know. But it's so dangerous to use the armor in the first place. How am I supposed to master it like that?" Ryo asked of her, though he wasn't really expecting an answer. Naste sighed. What kind of answer could she give him? She wasn't sure she was the right person to mention Seiji's earlier comment to him, though she was tempted to. Just to warn him.

… _it will completely destroy his will, and he will become a mindless puppet, unwilling and unable to do anything other than what others tell him to do. He'll lose his will completely._

But right now, Ryo didn't need warnings. He had enough physical warnings as it was. She figured the toll the armor was taking on his body was enough of a warning to him as it was. It seemed to hit Naste again the severity of their situation. They needed Kikoutei. It was vital to Takai's defeat based simply on the amount of power Takai posessed. No one yoroi of the Samurai could stand up to him and stand a chance of winning. But if they used Kikoutei, Ryo could lose himself completely. And completely losing his will could be worse than death. So, what could they do?

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. She couldn't really explain what she was feeling at the moment. She knew as much as the burning desire to comfort him, but other than that, the only thing she could feel was the heavy thumping of her heart at the intimate moment. After a long pause, she gave a heavy sigh and smiled. "You'll be alright. I've never seen you fail at anything Ryo. As long as you have all your friends around you, you'll get the hang of it. I just know it." Ryo looked away and sighed.

"I wish I could believe that, but it's so hard. The Kikoutei is so… overwhelming. I just can't understand how I can even begin to match its strength."

"I know it's hard, but…" Naste placed her hand on his cheek and pulled his face to look at her. "I don't think you need to match its power, just it's will power. And there is no doubt in my mind that you can do it." She smiled and nodded.

Ryo couldn't help but smile. He nodded back to her and reached up to take her hand. He halted as a male voice came from the doorway. "Ryo." The two moved apart a bit, a blush coloring Naste's face. Ryo seemed a bit too distracted to notice the fact that they had been caught at an intimate moment. The other four stood in his doorway, Seiji having spoken.

"What's up, minna?" Ryo shed his blanket, leaving him in a red shirt and jeans, dropping it onto the bed.

"It's time to work on getting Kikoutei under control." Toma continued, his voice dead serious.

"What!" Ryo cried, taking a step back. "Are you kidding?"

"No, Ryo. If we don't figure out how to control Kikoutei, you could lose yourself and we could lose the world." Toma stated sternly. "The Kikoutei is key. If we have no control over it, not only will it fail to help us in any way, but it will also hinder us by assisting Takai. With its nature the way it is, Takai's cause, according to the armor, would be sensible and worth joining."

"But I couldn't control myself in the city, how am I supposed to control it now?" Ryo demanded. He really didn't want to put the armor on unless he had no other choice.

"Seiji says he's come up with a way that may help you get a handle on it." Shin pointed out. Seiji nodded in agreement.

Ryo sighed. What else could he do? He didn't have much choice in the matter. He either learned how to control Kikoutei's powerful will, or he'd die in the fight with Takai. He could feel the final conflict creeping up on him. The time would soon come when they'd make their final stand against Takai's entire force. They didn't have much time to prepare. They needed to use their time wisely. He nodded to their ideas, and the six made their way down the stairs, and finally came to the backyard. Naste seated herself on the porch, and the boys subarmors appeared on their bodies.

"What about you guys and Naste? I'm gonna try and kill you if this doesn't work. I'll have the power to do it, too." Ryo looked around uncertainly.

"That's why Seiji called some help." Toma motioned to the left as a woman with long, dark blue hair appeared from behind a grouping of trees.

"Kayura!" Ryo cried, recognizing her immediately. Kayura smiled and waved. "What are you doing here?"

"Her Oni Masho yoroi might come in handy." Seiji answered for her. She nodded, and Seiji turned his attention on Shu. "Shu, you sure you're up to this?"

"Ah. I'm fine." Shu assured him, nodding firmly.

Seiji nodded. Ryo was placed in the center of the yard as Toma, Shu, and Shin took positions surrounding him at some distance. There was a gap in the circle surrounding Ryo for Seiji to occupy soon, but now he stood in front of Ryo. Ryo looked uncertain, but determined at the same time. Seiji began to slowly walk around Ryo. "Close your eyes, Ryo." Ryo obeyed and braced himself for whatever Seiji was planning. "I don't want anything to distract you. This commands your full attention." There was a brief pause before he continued. "Now, we must first understand what it is we are trying to do. Tell me what it is that you are trying to do with these exercises, Ryo."

"I need to control and harness Kikoutei's power without allowing my will to be seduced by Kikoutei's." Ryo stated evenly. Maybe this wouldn't be a tough as he thought.

"Good. Now, in order to do this, you must first understand what it is you are fighting. In your own words, who or what is your enemy in this case?"

Ryo was silent for a long time. "My enemy… is Kikoutei." He blurted out. Seiji was silent, signaling that he wanted Ryo to rethink that answer. Ryo thought hard. What exactly was his enemy, if not the Kikoutei itself?

Seiji spoke after afew silent minutes, understanding that Ryo needed a hint. "If your enemy was Kikoutei as a whole, you'd never want to use it. The Kikoutei is precious."

Ryo was silent for a moment more before Seiji's words clicked in his mind. "My enemy… is not the armor itself… but the armor's hateful nature."

Seiji smiled. "There you go. Now, tell me what it does to you. I don't want to know the results of its actions, just tell me the actions themselves."

"Uh… it molds my will to fit its own, and then I desire to do its bidding." Ryo answered, gaining a small amount of confidence.

"Exactly. I want you to now tell me the results of that molding of your will. What does Kikoutei do to you?" Ryo seemed to struggle. He gritted his teeth as the unwanted memory of the burning hatred flooded his mind. Seiji's voice was stern and strong as he next spoke. "Ryo, you have to know what it does to you in order to fight it. You need to know your enemy! Tell me what it does to you!" Ryo seemed to flinch at his outburst, but he obeyed and began to timidly speak.

"I feel… nothing. There is nothing at first. Then, the weight of the armor seems to lift away. Then, there's a burning, almost like that of Rekka, in my body. I have this burning desire… this all-consuming need to create… a void."

"A void? What does that mean?"

"Everything must vanish. I have this desire for an empty world. I want a world devoid of all life, and all feeling. No hate, no love, no sadness, no joy, no… nothing. It's truly what I want." Ryo answered, his voice low and stern. His voice turned suddenly timid. "Then there's the anger. A burning hatred for everything I see. I want to destroy everything so badly… it hurts."

"Really?" It was more of a statement than a question. Seiji stroked his chin. "Is that all?"

"No… there's a voice."

"A voice? Who's voice?"

"Well, it sounds like mine. But I know it's not. It's like this… inhuman echo that backgrounds and guides everything I say. It whispers things in my ear and in my subconscious, and my mind, in turn agrees with it and drives me foreward."

"I see. And I suppose that everything it says is absolutely logical and rational." Seiji predicted, getting the gist of what made this yoroi so dangerous.

"Well, the things it says do sound logical at the time, but looking back on it, everything it's said in the past are pretty rediculous." Ryo shrugged.

"I see. Well, step one is complete. Now, we need to try out my theory. The way to control Kikoutei is to keep your will to yourself and to keep things in perspective. If you can keep those things in mind, you should be able to control it. I'm going to ask you some questions, and I want you to focus on answering the same way while you are in your civilian clothes, and then when you are wearing your armor. Are you ready?"

"Shoot."

"Alright. Who are you?"

Ryo thought the question a bit odd, but he answered. "Sanada Ryo."

"What armor do you wear?"

"Rekka."

"What element do you rule?"

"Fire."

"Good. Now it'll be a bit tougher to answer these next few questions the same way both times. Tell me your family members' names."

Again, Ryo thought it to be an odd question. "My father, Sanada Hirai, and I suppose Byakuen."

"Your mother?"

"I never knew her."

"Oh. Gomen. Name your closest friends."

"Byakuen, Naste, Jun, Seiji, Toma, Shin and Shu."

"Say all of those names again." Ryo listed them. "Once more." Ryo rolled hidden eyes and repeated the names. "Good. Tell me who your allies in war are." He quickly added, "Their titles, please."

"Korin no Seiji, Tenku no Toma, Suiko no Shin, and Kongo no Shu."

Seiji had him repeat this list three times before asking the next question. "Who are your enemies in war?"

"Takai and the Emperors of the Yami no Sekai." This was also repeated three times.

"Now, Ryo, tell me why you have the armor!" Seiji cried, force in his voice.

Ryo paused. " I… have the armor to protect this world and its inhabitants from the Netherworld."

"Say it again, Ryo." Ryo obeyed. He was ordered to say it four more times before he was permitted to open his eyes. " That is the most important thing for you to remember when you put on the armor. You must remember why you have the armor. Because Kikoutei is going to try and tell you that its purpose is to create that void thing. The minute you feel that desire, you need to remember the things you told me. Especially the things I had you repeat. Alright?"

"Ah." Ryo stated sternly.

Seiji took his place in the circle around Ryo. "Kayura-dono! Stand ready!"

"Hm!" Kayura's armor clamped itself onto her subarmor and her chain and cursi-gama materialized into her fists.

"Samurai Troopers!" Seiji yelled, holding his hands out. "To arms!"

"Busso… Kongo!

"Busso… Tenku!"

"Busso… Suiko!"

"Busso… Korin!"

Ryo took a deep breath. "Busso… Rekka!"

Immediately after the lights of the individual transformations died down, the armors began to resonate, sending a deep thump through the air. They began to glow brightly and the lights soon separated from the armors and sped into Ryo's body. "Here it comes, Ryo!" Seiji warned.

"Busso… Kikoutei!"

White lightning from the sky struck Ryo's body, his Rekka Armor dashing into blossoms, and flames danced upward from his feet. The fire engulfed him, thenvanished, leaving Ryo standing in the yard, shaking and panting.

"Ryo? Can you hear me?" Toma inquired, taking a few cautious steps foreward.

"Kayura!" Seiji cried as Ryo lunged at Toma, his hands balled into fists. Red chains coiled about Ryo's body and locked him in place. Seiji ran up to him. "Ryo! Remember what you told me! Who are you?" He looked at Ryo's face. His cold blue eyes narrowed a bit before flashing their normal tiger blue for a moment. Seiji gripped Ryo's shoulders and shook him. "You have to remember who you are! Who are you?"

Something seemed to click in the back of Ryo's mind. "I am…" He gave a few heavy breaths, his tense body relaxing somewhat. "I am… Sanada Ryo."

"Good! Now, what armor do you have?" Seiji cried, ceasing to shake him, and simply kept his firm grip on Ryo's shoulders.

"I have… Kik- no. I have… Rekka!" Ryo answered, his eyes slowly, but surely, heading back to their normal tiger blue.

"Good job, now tell me who your friends are! Tell me what I had you repeat!"

_Stop this! I have things to do! You are disrupting my perfect void! Everything has to be destroyed! I have to destroy everything that has feeling!_

""Tell me, Ryo!" Seiji yelled.

"My friends are… Naste… Jun, Bayakuen… Seiji…"

_No_...

"Shin…"

_No!_

"Toma…"

_No!_

"Shu!"

_NO!_

"Great! Keep it up, Ryo! Who are your allies?"

"Korin no Seiji! Suiko no Shin!" Ryo's hesitations were becoming shorter and less frequent as the voice that seemed to echo his own warped thoughts began to slowly fade away until it was nothing more than an annoying buzz. He could still feel the armor inject his mind with the deadly hatred, and the weight of the armor was settling down on him, making his legs shake with effort, but the haze of his anger began to lift. It was almost as if a physical mist had been brushed away by a breeze, allowing him to see more clearly. He took a long pause and a deep breath before speaking again. "Tenku no Toma! Kongo no Shu!"

"Yes! Now, tell me who your enemies are!" Seiji urged, his excitement flaring. His methods were actually making a difference. If they could get Ryo to the point that he could have this kind of concentration in battle, they might be able to safely use the Kikoutei.

"Seiji!" Ryo suddenly cried. He felt the armor surge with energy and he could feel his awareness begin to fade. The foggy haze seemed to suddenly start creeping back into his vision. "I can't do it!"

"Yes you can! Tell me your enemies!" Seiji called back.

"Seiji! It's coming back! I can't… it's not…" Ryo groaned and dropped to his knees.

"Ryo! Don't concentrate on the armor's power! Concentrate only on what you are feeling and thinking! Concentrate all of your energy on your memory! Remember everything you told me!" Seiji pushed.

Ryo looked timidly up at Seiji. "I can't… remember. Who… are…?"

"Who are your enemies, Ryo?" Seiji demanded. He stared into Ryo's timid eyes, a stern, steely look in his own. "Remember the pain you've felt in the past, and then think back to the cause of that pain!"

Ryo concentrated his memory. Who had caused him pain?

"_To put it simply, yes. But you know, you wouldn't have to die if you would accept Master Takai as your Lord. You'd live and gain unimaginable power. It's good offer, really." Kuri suddenly twisted her daggers to rest right under the hilts of his swords. With a powerful flick of her wrists, his swords were sent flying out of his grasp. She rushed foreward and grabbed Ryo's shoulder. She quickly spun him around and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, crossing her daggers in front of his throat and pressing the edges to his skin. "And I think I can get a good word in for you."_

"_In your dreams, lady." Ryo grunted, gritting his teeth._

_Kuri put more pressure on the knives. "You sure about that, Rekka no Ryo? Say no, and I'll be forced to end your life right here." Ryo growled and narrowed his eyes._

"That ninja girl… Kuri!" Ryo growled, his eyes flashing pale, cold blue. Hesearched his mind for another enemy before looking angrily up at Shu. "Shu!"

_Shu smirked and Ryo suddenly screamed as huge surges of dark energy flowed through the spear and into Ryo's body._

_Ryo was still unable to get off his knees due to the immense amount of power that had electrified his body. Ryo looked up when Shu stood in front of him, and immediately began to try and get up. Before he could get to his feet, Shu let out an arrogant chuckle and smashed his Bo into Ryo's back, forcing him back to the floor with a loud yelp of pain._

"We're losing him, Seiji!" Toma cried from behind him.

Seiji's eyes narrowed in determination. "No! You just said that Shu was your ally!"

"He… caused me pain!" Ryo yelled angrily, his eyes turning colder.

"_Shut up!" Shin yelled back. "This has only to do with Rekka no Ryo and I." Suddenly, Shin was gone and stood behind Ryo. He pulled the dagger from the wall and pressed the handle of the yari across Ryo's shoulders, holding him in place. The blade of the dagger went to Ryo's neck and Shin gave a smile. "Not so tough now, eh Rekka?"_

Ryo growled at Shin. "Shin!"

"Ryo, stop!" Seiji yelled. Ryo's eyes turned to tiger blue briefly, and he looked up at Seiji. "Stop it! Just tell me why you have the armor! Please, remember!"

"Why do I… have the armor?" Ryo inquired, more of himself than of Seiji. "Why do I…?"

_A void. A lifeless and sterile earth. That is what I want! That is why I have this armor! That is the armor's only purpose!_

"Why do you have the armor, Ryo? What is the armor's purpose?" Seiji urged, taking hold of his shoulders and jerking him around again.

"The armor's purpose…? What is…?" Ryo closed his eyes and thought hard. The armor was created to…

_Create a void! I want a void, empty of all things that feel. All things that have feelings must vanish! Everything has to die!_

"No… the armor was created… to create…" Ryo's voice was slowly getting weaker, and his words more slurred.

"We're losing him again, Seiji!" Shu yelled. "Take the armor off. He's reached his limits!"

"Kikoutei requires him to reach beyond his limits. If he wants to control it, he needs to cross his boundaries!" Seiji reasoned. "We can't let him quit yet!"

"Seiji! It's going to kill him! Get it off!"

Seiji looked to Shin, then to Ryo, who's eyes were flashing light blue, then going back to tiger blue before doing it again. "Everytime he puts Kikoutei on, the armor's will gains more and more control over his own!" Toma continued. "It's strong enough now that he can't overtake it! Take it off!"

"If we take it off now, it'll be even more dangerous and more powerful next time! It's weaker than it ever will be again!" Seiji yelled back, not once taking his eyes off of Ryo.

_The Kikoutei was made to create a void. Suzanagi made the armor to destroy all feeling on the earth. But I have the armor for a different reason. I use it for a purpose other than that for which it was created. But what is that purpose?_

"Ryo's had enough! He was able to answer most of the questions! That should be enough for now!" Shin reasoned.

"If he gives up now, he won't survive it next time!" Seiji yelled.

"… to protect this world!" Ryo suddenly screamed, shooting to his feet and sending a burst of energy out, throwing the chains off. He stood in the yard, his entire body shaking, his breaths coming in short gasps.

"Ryo…" Seiji whispered. The four other Samurai were currently staring at him in awe. Though the Kikoutei was overpowering him, Ryo had broken through.

"I have… the armor… to protect this world!" Ryo repeated, his heavy gasps breaking his speech. His hands slowly traveled upward until they gripped his helmet. He pulled it off and the armor brust into sakura blossoms. His red armor was laft, until t too, disintigrated into many cherry blossoms. He smirked a bit before his heavy body dropped to the ground with a dull thud. Seiji and the others surrounded him.

"You fought off the armor's will, and you even managed to take it off of your own power." Toma whispered. "Sugoi…"

't make me… wear it again." Ryo begged, his eyes watering with tears. "Don't make me… please."

"It's alright, my friend." Seiji smiled. "You're done for now." Ryo smiled weakly before closing his eyes, one tear trailing down his cheek, and his body falling into a shallow sleep. Shu scooped Ryo up, and headed for the house. Seiji stood and smiled at the woman who was aimlessly wandering toward the yard. "Thanks for your help, Kayura."

Kayura nodded as her armor melted into her multi-colored kimono. "No problem." She gave him a serious look before speaking. "Let me bring the Sanmasho here. We'll help you out."

Seiji held up his hand. "No, Kayura."

"Why? Takai is immensely powerful, and though Kikoutei could probably match his power, you are still a long way before you will be able to depend on it for a battle. You need the help." Kayura continued.

"Maybe so, but you have to understand the nature of this war. You must understand what we have gone through so far. He tried to use our own friends to destroy us and turned the world against us. No offense, but we want to take him down by ourselves. With the attacks to the minds of Shu and Shin, it's become a personal matter. Besides, you all have enough to worry about in the Hikari no Sekai. Just worry about that, and we'll take care of Takai." Seiji smiled and headed in.

Kayura smiled and shook her head. _Maybe it is pride that keeps them from accepting my help, but I admire their courage. However, if they continue down the path their currently following, they'll lose their lives in the ensuing battle._

_>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>_

"Toma!" Naste called as the Troopers returned to the house after the Kikoutei training.

"Eh?" Toma called back.

"You have some visitors." She answered slowly. The five entered the livingroom to see an older man in a suit and tie standing in the livingroom. To the left of the man stood a black-haired woman. Toma froze.

"D-D-Dad! What are you doing here!" he cried. His gaze shifted to the woman. "And Mom! What the heck are you two doing here… and at the same time!"

"Toma, these are your parents!" Shu cried suddenly.

"Ah. Mama, I thought you were in Russia." Toma whispered, looking anywhere in the room except for directly at her.

"Yes, I was. But I flew home immediately when I heard the news." She answered sternly.

"What… news?" Toma asked weakly, afraid that he already knew the answer.

"News that our son is running around like a madman in a Samurai getup, claiming to be saving the world." His father answered for her.

"Claiming? So you don't believe that I'm a Samurai Trooper?" Toma growled sternly.

"Shut up, Toma! Don't you talk to me that way!" his father yelled.

"I'm no child! I live my own life, and I am no longer required to listen to your every word!" Toma yelled back, walking to get in his father's face.

A hard punch landed on Toma's cheek. "Shut up! You may be a man now, but I will still not tolerate disrespect from you!" the man yelled back. Toma wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth.

"Oi!" Shin cried, running up to step between Toma and his father. "Stop this! We have enough violence in our lives without throwing punches in a petty argument!"

"Stay out of this, kid." Hashiba-san growled, pushing Shin away and back onto the couch. "Toma, you are coming home with us this instant, and we will not revisit this subject. I will not have my son cause panic in Shinjuku."

"I'm not going anywhere. Wheather you believe me or not, I have a job to do here!" Toma countered, planting his feet and crossing his arms.

"Yes, you are coming with us. This whole thing is rediculous. You will not tarnish the Hashiba's good name like this."

"Tarnish? I'm honoring the family by wearing Tenku!" Toma cried, waving his arm around.

The ring of the phone sounded, calling Naste into the kitchen to answer it. The ring roused Ryo from his light sleep. Shu smiled. "Minna! Ryo's come to!" The other three, including Toma, ignored the two unwelcomed guests, and gathered around. "Ryo? How do you feel?"

"Numb." Ryo laughed weakly.

"Numb? What do you mean?" Shin raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Kikoutei almost killed you." Toma pointed out. "We were ready to pull you out, but Seiji believed you could do it."

"You didn't let me down, Ryo. You did good." Seiji smiled.

Ryo returned it, though his held less life. "Thanks. But I still have a ways to go. I could just bearly control it. With all the distractions of battle, at this point, I wouldn't survive."

"Oh, come on. You're not on your deathbed. Quit with the dark talk." Shu smirked as he lay Ryo on the couch. "Just relax for a bit."

"Shu…?" Naste called hesitantly.

"Ah?"

"You have a phone call." She answered, walking in with the receiver, her palm pressed to the mouthpiece. "I think it's your mother."

"Eh!" Shu jumped a bit. "What's with the family assults!"

"The reports on the Samurai Troopers left Japan to the rest of the world today, remember?" Toma's mother growled. Toma stood and glared at his parents.

"Put it on speaker phone, Naste." Shu commanded since the cord wouldn't reach him. Naste obeyed and Shu called, "Moshi moshi… Mama."

"Shu! Are you alright!" cried his mother from the other end.

"Ah. I'm fine. Why?" Shu was surprised at the amount of relief in his own voice. At least she wasn't angry.

"Oh! You nearly gave me a heart attack, Shu-chan!" She continued. She sounded like she was just this side of hysterical.

_Chan?_ A vein ticked in Shu's temple, but he dismissed it. "What do you need, Mama?"

"I need my son back! Those reports looked dangerous! What did I always tell you about-!"

"Shuni-chan!" cried two young voices.

"Mei-ryu? Ro-chan?" Shu cried, recognizing his younger twin brothers' voices. "Hey, guys. How are ya?"

"Shuni-chan! You were so awesome! I saw that orange suit you wore! It's so cool! Can you get me one and bring it back when you come home from Japan?" Mei-ryu cried excitedly.

"Mei-ryu, Ro-chan, come on. Get off the other line. Mama's talking." His mother commanded gently.

"Hey!" Cried another voice on the same line as the twins. "I wanna talk to the ham, too!"

"Jeezu, Shu. How many siblings do you have?" Toma raised an eyebrow.

"I have a big family." Shu sweatdropped and spoke to the new voice. "Hi, Dande."

"Hey!" The young male voice cried again. "What do you think you're doing out there, ya pinhead! You're supposed to be in school, like us!"

"Dande, I'm 20." Shu sighed, smiling weakly.

"College, then!" Dande cried back.

"Uh…" Shu stumbled a bit as fighting erupted between Dande and the twins over posession of the phone. "Minna…" The group was staring suspiciously at the phone base, as a third line was picked up.

"Ototo?"

"Hey, Tori. You still living at home?" Shu sighed. It was all he could do to understand her over the ruckus of his brothers.

"Of course. Can't let Mama and Papa handle the restaurant and a family by them selves, can I?" She paused seriously. "Are you really okay, Shu?"

Shu nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him. "I'm fine, Tori. This is truly what I feel I need to be doing."

"But… you're so young." His mother chimed in.

"I know. It's fine, though. Really." Shu closed his eyes and smiled.

"Alright! That's enough, you three!" cried an adult male voice on the qarreling line. The noise was cut soon after as the line was hung up.

Shu sighed. "How's Papa taking it?"

"He's alright. Worried as I am, maybe more, but he'll be fine." The mother answered quietly.

"I see."

"Look out, Tori." The same male voice said calmly on the oldest's line.

"But Papa… I just…!" She was silent and soon the line was handed to her father.

"Shu-chan?" he called into the phone.

"I'm not a chan." Shu grumbled quietly.

"Huh?" His mother quipped.

"Nothing. How are you, Papa?" Shu's voice was gentle, as if he were breaking some horrible news to his father.

The man was silent for a short moment. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset. But at this point, I don't really think I can do anything about it, can I?"

Shu smiled, then hastily asked, "You're not going to try and make me come home, are you?"

They could almost hear his mother smile. "No. We'd prefer it if you did, but judging by the nature of this problem, we doubt you'd come anyway. Besides, you are an adult. You need to make your own decisions."

"Thank you, Mama. Papa?"

"Ah?"

"I promise you all I'll survive this… one way or the other."

"There we go." His father's spirits seemed to have brightened. "I was hoping to hear some kind of promise from you."

"Oh! Shu-chan! Chichi wants to talk to you!" his mother suddenly cried.

"Not a chan…" he grumbled again.

"Is Chichi your girlfriend or something?" Seiji giggled.

"You've got a one-track mind!" Shu growled.

"Oh my! Am I on speaker phone?" his mother cried suddenly, hearing Seiji speak.

"Yeah." Shu giggled.

"Oh. Hi everyone." Her grin was obviousl even through the phone.

"Konnichiwa, Rei Faun-san." Shin said respectively.

"Here's Chichi." His mom continued, passing the phone off.

"Hi, Chichi!" Shu cried in a gentle voice.

"Shu!" Cried a very young voice. "You been 'way for a long time! I 'growed' up!"

Shu laughed. "You sure did. Last time I saw you, you were just learning to talk."

"Yeah! I k'n talk now! I k'n talk fruently!" She cried, bubbling.

"How old are you now?"

"I'm tree!" she proclaimed.

"Wow. You really are grown up, aren't you?"

"Bruder?"

"Hm?"

"Why you wear funny clothes and play with people in black?"

A small wave of laughter fell over the Troopers at the young one's innocence. Shu shook his head. "Don't you worry about that, right now, Chichi-chan. How have you been?"

"It's been fun, Bruder! I k'n test Papa's foods!"

"I see."

"It's lots of fun and he cooks really good!"

"Cool."

"Come on, Chichi." His mother interrupted, her voice seeming distant in the background. "Brother has things to do."

"Okay. Bye Bruder!"

"Bye, Chichi!"

"Shu?" His mother's voice got serious.

"Eh?"

"Promise us you'll be careful." His father finished for her.

"I promise."

"Well, we need to be going. The restaurant is still open, and our chefs are calling." His mother gave a laugh.

"We both love you, Shu." The man said quietly. "We'll see you when you get home."

"Love ya, Minna!" The phones were hung up and Toma rounded on his parents.

"Why is it such a big deal for you? The Rei Faun family is honorable and reasonable enough to allow Shu to make his own decision. Why can't you at least be that honorable?"

"That works for the Rei Faun family!" The man cried back. "We are not willing to let our son lose his life for those he doesn't know. The Rei Fauns' lack of responsibility has nothing to do with my personal decision!"

"Hey!" Shu's eyes blazed at Toma's father. "Don't you dare insult my family! I don't care who you are, no one talks badly of them around me!"

Toma's father gave a disgusted look at Shu before turning his nose up at him and returning his gaze to Toma. "I will not make such a sacrifice."

"Sacrifice? What do you know about sacrifice! Would it really be anything of a sacrifice for you if I died in battle!" Toma demanded angrily, his past memories intensifying his anger. "Would you really care!"

The group paused at Toma's tone, as well as his words themselves. What exactly was he saying? Toma's father seemed to get a bit anxious. Surely his son would not drag up old memories, which they would both rather forget. He made his face stoic and covered for himself. "Of course I would care! You are my son!"

"Really? I'm your son now, am I? It seems to me that up until a short while ago, I was simply a punching bag. And besides, do father's normally give their sons badges such as these?" He rolled up his sleeve to display a deep scar stretched across his bicep. He held it up for his father to see. "Do you remember this, dad?" The father remained silent. The woman next to him seemed surprised suddenly as she stared at the healed wound. The group stood still. His father had done such a thing to him? He seemed to be slightly abusive, considering he had punched Toma in the face earlier for simply striking an unpleasant tone, but was he really a severely abusive parent? Toma's confidence was swelling as he stared his father down. "You don't, do you? I was a Thursday, a little past midnight. You came home for a party with your buddies completely wasted. You had on beer bottle left. I came down to see what all the noise was about and you started yelling at me. You broke your empty bottle over the table and drew one of the edges across my arm for being 'lazy'." He pulled his sleeve back over the scar and stepped back. "I thought it was normal then, but then I met these guys, and they showed me what a relationship between any two people should include… and exclude. At this point, I don't really consider you enough of a father to obey your request. No real father would do such a thing to his son. I know that now. And that knowledge was probably why you didn't want me to come here in the first place, huh?"

"Toma, I thought we had moved past all that." Toma turned away and headed upstairs to his room. "I thought we had put all that behind us."

Toma stopped on the stairs and sent a glare at his father. "Perhaps we still can. But we cannot move past anything until you learn to deal with and accept your problems."

"What? I did! I did understand my problems! Why is it so impossible for you to forgive me for that?" The man didn't seem quite remorseful, though guilt was in there, but rather as if he had been wronged in some way.

"It's not." Toma's tone had softened considerably. "But you've never asked me to." With that last poingiant sentence stated, Toma disappeared up the stairs and they could hear his bedroom door open and close a few minutes later.

Toma's father stared after his son. He refused to be remorseful. He and his son had put this behind them years ago. If Toma wanted to drag it back up, it was his own fault. He would not play Toma's little mind game. Ryo turned angry eyes on Toma's father. "What the hell was that about?"

"Shut up. What on earth makes you think that you have any part of this! You don't even know what's happened!" He angrily countered, taking an intimidating step foreward.

"I know enough! Don't you think the slash on Toma's arm tells me all I need to know? It doesn't take a genius to figure it out!" Ryo sat up, much to the disapproval of his body and his friends. But he did not waver. He anger toward Toma's father seemed to temporarily be blocking out the other pain.

"What does this have to do with you anyway? This is a family issue!"

"Exactly!" Ryo stood up. "Toma and the others in this room are my only family! I have no others! If you mistreat one of my brothers, you deal with me!"

"Ryo, sit down." Naste grabbed his shoulders and pulled ham back onto the couch to sit next to her. "You need to stay calm. You'll put stress on your wounds." She stood and pushed his shoulders back so he lay down.

"I'm fine, Naste." Ryo insisted. He closed his eyes and sighed, attempting to release some frustration.

"Come on, Ania." Toma's father grabbed his wife's hand and they headed out the door. There was a long silence that followed their exit, until Shin turned to Seiji.

"Oi, Seiji. You've known Toma since you were kids, right?"

"Ah. We went to the same elementary and junior high school." Seiji explained.

"Did you know about this?" Shu continued.

Seiji looked at the floor. "Not really. I suspected that something was wrong, but there were only rare times that I suspected Toma's father. I thought that maybe he was involved in a gang and got beat up a lot, because he always seemed to be hurt. His clothes were always ratty… and he never had a lunch. I'd always pack two lunches because he never seemed to have food. We never got together at his house. Always at my house. There were times that I suspected his father, but then, the next day, he'd come in with a wound that looked like he had gotten it in a gang fight, like a black eye or something."

"I see. So the abuse thing had been going on for years on end." Naste pointed out.

"Yeah. I wish there was something I could do to help him." Seiji looked up.

Ryo shrugged. "I think he just needs a brother, right now."

Seiji nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Toma?" Seiji sat up, pushing the blankets away from his body. He could see Toma's empty bed and the sillhouette of his friend as he stared out the large window. Seiji hopped out of bed and cautiously walked up to stand behind his friend. "Toma? You alright?"

"I can't believe I did it, Seiji." Toma began weakly.

"Did what?" Seiji asked with equaly gentleness. He had a sneaking suspicion of what it was.

"I rejected my father. I got in his face and told him off for what he's done."

Seiji stared at Toma's bare back. Long and short, large and small, circle and stripe, faded scars could be seen all across his back and shoulders. His bceps held few and his forearms hald little to none. Seiji could understand why Toma rarely ever wore sleeveless or shortsleeved shirts. The scars were not really noticable, but the fact was, Toma knew they were there, and that was enough. Seiji placed a hand on his shoulder. "It had to be done, Toma. Your father needs to realize fully what he did to you, and he needs to make amends. What better motivation to do so than his son's rejection?"

"Yeah… but… it still hurts." Toma heaved a heavy sigh and dropped his head.

"I know. Turning your father down like he was some kind of street punk has got to be agony. You're brave in doing it, because I don't think I'd have the guts to." Seiji smiled.

"Thanks Seiji." Toma's voice didn't hold too much relief, but it was enough to slightly ease Seiji's concern.

"Anytime, and I think I actually owe you an apology." Seiji's hand left his shoulder and Toma turned to face him.

"An apology for what?" Toma raised an eyebrow.

Seiji shrugged. "For not realizing what was happening to you sooner. I mean, we grew up together, and I never figured out what was causing the problem."

Toma clapped him on the back. "Don't worry about it, my friend. It's not your fault my father's like he is. And I did everything in my power to keep you from finding out. You can blame yourself for not knowing."

Seiji shrugged. "Either way. I'm sorry."

"No problem."

Seiji gave a yawn and headed to his bed. "Anyway, let's get some sleep. We have more work to do on the Kikoutei tomorrow." He lay down and pulled the covers over his shoulders.

Toma sat down on the edge of his won bed and stared at the back of Seiji's head. After a few minutes, Seiji felt Toma's gaze boring into the back of his mind and he looked up, giving him a questioning look. "Do you think it's wise," Toma began. "To have Ryo doing this? We almost lost him today."

"I know. But Ryo can handle it. He's been through death on more than one occasion. But no matter the circumstances, Ryo _has_ to do it. It's a life and death matter. If Ryo doesn't get a handle on Kikoutei, none of us will survive the final battle with Takai. And I'm sure you, as well as all the others, feel that last battle coming up, don't you? I sure do. But if we don't survive that battle, the world's toast." Seiji sat up as well, looking down at his intertwined hands. "I don't want to lose Ryo any more than you all do. But I know what has to be done. And right now, what has to be done is that Ryo needs to master Kikoutei. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Toma nodded slowly. "Yes, but Seiji, don't you think it's unwise, and perhaps cruel, that we force him to do it again tomorrow?"

"Toma, it's cruel that Ryo has to do this in the first place. But this is what life has handed us. We can either be true warriors and face it and deal with it, or we can run from it. And I'll tell you one thing, running from it won't beat Takai."

"But why consecutive days? Ryo won't hold out if we continue doing this for long."

"Toma, time is precious. We don't know what Takai will attack next. Takai knows how much trouble Ryo has with Kikoutei and he's going to use that against us in the next fight. 'We weren't ready' won't fly when Takai attacks and begins to kill us because we refuse to summon Kikoutei." Seiji lay back down and sighed.

"But still… this is Ryo's life we're talking about here." Toma lay down as well, partially accepting Seiji's reasoning.

"I know. But I promise you one thing. I, personally, won't let Ryo die." Seiji gave Toma a long look before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep. Toma smiled gently and soon followed.

* * *

Kitty-chan: Yay! Toma's parents have shown up! Well, maybe not yay... but... maybe... woo? Whatever. What yoo think? Tell meee! lol. Okay, I'm hyper. On to the preview!

* * *

So... what was it about Ryo that put her in limbo between lover and sister?

* * *

"We are looking for Mouri Shin. He lives here, doesn't he?" The younger woman inquired weakly.

* * *

"Shin, I can't wear ancient yoroi and I can't weild a weapon. But what I can do is help heal the wounded. It's clear that you are hurt. But I can't heal you if you don't let me know what the problem is." She put a hand to his face. "Please, Shin. I want to help."

* * *

Woo! Alright, so review, and I should have the next chapter up soon! Love ya! 


	10. Day Ten: The Calm Before the Storm

Kitty-chan: Woo! I don't have much time, but here's chapter ten, finally. Woo! I hope you like it! This is a fun chappy. Real fast, I don't own any of the Samuari Toopers. I own the plot, and I own Takai, Kuri... Lai... and I don't claim to know Shin's mother's or his sister's name. Nor Toma's parents names. I just gave them name I thought were fit. Alright! Name translations!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji  
Byakuen: White Blaze  
Yamano Jun: Yuli Yamano

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock  
Kikoutei: Inferno  
Go Retsu Ken: Soul Swords of Fervor

Enjoy! The stuff with ( ) next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

"I have the armor… to protect this world." Ryo stated firmly, standing in the center of the yard once more. His five friends stood around him as he once again answered Seiji's questions, the white armor glittering in the late morning light.

Naste stood on the porch near the backdoor, too anxious to sit down. How could she relax when Ryo was fighting for his own identity? Her own worry kind of struck her as odd. She wasn't quite sure how she viewed Ryo. She loved him more than a brother, but she couldn't, at this point, view him as a boyfriend either. Of course, she loved all five of them as her beloved brothers, but there was something about Ryo that was… different. She couldn't explain it, even to herself. Perhaps it was Ryo's nature as a leader. He wasn't a painfully obvious leader, but rather, his charisma was subtle and powerful. Perhaps it was that which drew her to him.

Or maybe it was the effect his past had on all his relationships. To those who got to know him, Ryo clung to and protected with his life. After losing his father, his only remaining family, Ryo had distanced himself from everyone. But, when he found true friends in the other Troopers, his walls broke down and the five of them became as close as brothers. They became inseperable. She was no exception to his relationships. She felt closer, if possible, to Ryo than to any of the others. Perhaps it was because his mind and heart needed healing. That came out plainly, and she answered his cry. Yes, Toma, too, needed healing, but he seemed to turn more to Seiji than anyone else. The two had grown up together, so Toma trusted Seiji more than anyone else. So… what was it about Ryo that put her in limbo between lover and sister? She wanted to be more than his friend. She just needed to admit it to herself.

As Seiji attempted to get Ryo to hit a few targets, the doorbell rang. Naste rolled her eyes. _The Hashibas are probably back to nag at Toma._ Her thoughts were confirmed as she moved through the livingroom to open the front door. She was met with the surly countanance of Toma's father. She did her best to smile and lead them in. "Ohayo, Hashiba-san." The man grunted, shattering what little of a happy mask she had on. "You know, you have a lot of nerve coming back here."

The man glared at her before harumphing up the stairs, apparently hoping to find Toma in his room. Glad to be rid of him for the moment, Naste turned to his wife. "So, what about you? Why'd you come back here?"

The woman sighed and her face lost its sharpness. She gave a bow before speaking. "Please forgive our intrusion, Naste-san. Please believe me… I mean…" She trailed off. Naste could plainly see the struggle in the woman's eyes. Her anger dwindled and she led the woman into the kitchen and poured a few mugs of tea left over from the boys that morning. The woman sat at the table, and Naste soon joined her, sliding a cup in front of her.

"What's up? You seemed with your husband pretty firmly yesterday." Naste stared at the woman's contemplating face as she regarded her tea.

The woman heaved a heavy sigh and seemed to switch gears entirely. "I'm a journalist. I travel constantly, going all over the world, and spending next to no time at all at home. Narai pretty much raised Toma by himself. I saw little to none of Toma when he was growing up. I had no idea Narai was physically abusive. I never saw enough of the two to tell if something was wrong."

"The why don't you do something about it? You could talk to him. Get on his back to ask Toma's forgiveness. Why can't you help Toma?"

"It's not that simple, Naste-san. I can't do something like that to Narai. I love him too much. I abandoned him to raise an infant on his own. I have to stick by him now. I just couldn't possibly abandon him."

"You don't have to abandon him. Simply let him know that he's in the wrong. I understand that you love him, but do you care more for Toma? Do you love Narai so much that you wouldn't stand between Toma and Narai to help Toma?" Naste looked down at her tea. "I've lost my father and my grandfather. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that keeping silent, no matter what the reason, can only hurt a relationship and keep it from growing. There are so many things I wish I could have told my father and my grandfather before they died, but I kept quiet. That haunts me sometimes. I know, and I'll tell you that if you don't say or do something now, you and Toma will never really have a relationship. You see, your silence is not the only problem. It's also Toma's view of you that will harm the chemistry between you. At this point, in Toma's eyes, you are no better and no kinder than Narai."

Ania paused and regarded her tea for a long moment. "But… I didn't abuse him. I didn't hurt him."

"No, you didn't, but you never stopped Narai from doing it either. Even if you weren't there to do anything about it, Toma only understands that you were not there for him. I'm not saying you're a bad mother. I'm just saying that that is how Toma feels right now." Ania looked down at her brownish reflection in the tea. "Even now, you have not spoken out against Narai for what Toma revealed yesterday. Toma interperets that the only way her can; you support Narai and not him."

Ania shook her head slowly back and forth. "No… I love Toma."

"And, I'm sure, so does Narai… deep down… way deep. There are next to no parents who can turthfully say that they have no love whatsoever for their child, but Narai cannot control himself for whatever reason." Naste put a hand to Ania's shoulder. Tears began to slowly gather in the corner of the mother's eyes. Naste smiled. "You are a kind person, Ania. You are, perhaps, the polar opposite of Narai. You are very open-minded. You have slowly sunk in to the fact that Toma is not normal. I can see that, since you haven't brought it up once. Narai still refuses to accept the reality. You have also taken in everything I've said, even though I am not a mother, and have accepted it as truth. You accept it because I know more about Toma than you or Narai. You may not be able to change Narai, but you can change how Toma feels about you. And that, I think, is the whole point."

Ania looked up, scrubbing away her tears. She had an urge to throw her arms around naste in a grateful hug, but being the businesswoman that she was, she refrained. "Domo arigatou, Naste-sama." Her eyes were sad, yet encouraged.

Just a few minutes later, Narai stormed into the kitchen, looking around. Naste rolled her eyes. "Where is that boy?" He bellowed. "I've looked all over this house!"

Naste muttered something under her breath and jabbed he thumb at the back door. "They're out back, training." As the three headed toward the back door, the doorbell rang again. Naste headed to the front, praying to the fates that the visitors were not reporters. She opened the door and was relieved, but wary at the sight of a younger woman and an elderly woman standing on the porch. Naste backed up a bit. "Uh… can I help you?"

"We are looking for Mouri Shin. He lives here, doesn't he?" The younger woman inquired weakly.

"Yes he does. He's out back. Come on in." She lead them through the house and out to the back porch, joining the Hashibas. The younger woman helped the older settle into a patio chair before taking one herself. Naste also seated herself and watched the training. The two women off to the side seemed to be trying to pick Shin out. Four of the five Troopers were running about the yard, jumping this way and that, attacking at different intervals. A voice from amidst the foue moving Troopers seemed to constantly encourage and instruct one called Ryo, apparently the white form in the center of the array of lights.

"Keep your focus, Ryo! You must only defend! This is an exercise, and if you allow the armor to convince you to attack, it'll statr to manipulate you again!" the voice cried.

The white figure held his two crossed swords up as an orange light flew down. The orange on struck, then vanished again to become a colored streak once again. A light blue form began an attack from the back, but apparently caught sight of something near the house. He missed entirely and hit the ground, sliding to a stop right in front of the back porch. His armored head lifted up until his shocked face could plainly be seen.

"Mum! Sayako!" He cried in English. "Where… I mean… when did you… how did you…?"

"Shin! So it's true!" Sayako cried, slipping back into Japanese and dropping to give Shin a strong hug. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Shin!" Toma yelled.

Shin turned slightly before roughly shoving Sayako back onto the porch. Kikoutei's sword whistled through the air, coming straight down at Shin. Shin's spear returned to his hands and his held it up to catch the white swords before they impaled his face. "Shin!" Sayako and his mother yelled in unison. Kikoutei overpowered Suiko by an incredible amount, and the sword continued to decend. Shin grunted and did his best to fend off the weapons, but Suiko's physical strength couldn't hold Kikoutei's back. After a few minutes, one of Kikoutei's blades retreated away from Suiko and aimed the deadly point at Shin's throat. Shin couldn't even throw off the one Kikoutei sword. Yet, he glared at the other three as they approached to restrain Ryo. "No, Minna! Let Ryo fight Kikoutei on his own!" He grunted again, his arms quivvering with the stress of holding the weapons back. "Ryo! You can do this! You did it yesterday! Your will is stronger than Kikoutei! Don't let it do this to you!" Ryo's eyes flashed their normal color, then back to cold blue. The sword charged foreward. "RYO!"

The tip did not strike. Ryo's arm halted and his hands relaxed, releasing the weapons. He stood up straight and slowly pulled his helmet off. The armor dissolved, leaving him in his Rekka armor before that two faded off of him. He gave a small smirk. "I did it." His legs buckled beneath him and he dropped to his knees. Naste leapt from her chair and ran foreward, allowing his upper body to fall against her as he collapsed completely. His breathing was heavy and Naste could feel his entire body shaking.

"Ryo… are you hurt?" she whispered.

His head moved slowly back and forth. "No. I'm fine. Just… a bit shaken." He gave a heavy sigh and his terrified body managed to relax itself against her.

"Are you sure?" Seiji inquired, kneeling next to him.

"I'm fine, actually. I don't even feel really weak. I'm just… so shaky." Ryo smiled, moving his eyes to look at his comrades.

While the inquiry of Ryo continued behind, Shin had shed his armor and was sitting awkwardly amongst the newcomers, to two of which, he had no idea what to say. Finally, Sayako sent him a stern look. "Shin, what do you think you are doing here?"

Shin looked up, almost a look of shame in his eye. "I could put you to the same question."

"We came to give you your senses back! Have you lost your mind? That man over there, the one the woman is holding, is your comrade?" Sayako pointed at the resting Trooper.

"Of course he is. That's Ryo." Shin answered bluntly.

"He just tried to kill you! And you almost let him! Something happened in your brain! You're crazy!" She continued.

"Calm down, Sayako-chan." The mother put a hand on her daughter's head. Her tone was serious, but gentle. "How have you been, Shin? Well, I hope?"

Shin paused and sighed, wished she hadn't asked. Such a general and simple question would require a disproportionate amount of strength to answer if he were to respond in truth. _That's because I haven't been well._ His mind had been overcome, and his body taken over. The agonizing posession process and the remainder of Takai's spirit in his mind haunted his every step. He finally sighed and gave a weak smile. His horrors were not for his family to bear. "I'm as well as one can be in a war, Mum. You two?"

His mother smiled. "We've been fine. Missing you more than anything."

Shin's face solemned. "I'm sorry to have caused you more problems. I mean… your heart-!"

"My heart is fine, Shin. You know your sister graduated from med school last year. She takes good care of me. Again, I'm more worried about you." She sighed. "You're so young to be in this kind of war."

Shin shrugged. "I'm fine. Really. This is my purpose, and I'm prefectly fine with it."

"Are you?" His mother seemed suddenly very wise as she gazed into his deep sea eyes. Shin struggled for an answer. His mother always did have a sort of intuition when people lied. She could tell he wasn't fine. He was spared having to conjure an answer as Naste and the others approached, Ryo already on his feet and walking.

"I take it this is your mother and sister?" Naste assumed, waving a hand at them.

"Yes. This is my mother, Suki, and my older sister, Sayako." Shin nodded.

Shu sighed. "And so, the assult continues. Now the only parents we haven't heard from are Seiji's."

Seiji gave a shy smile. "I don't think we'll be hearing from them."

"Why not? Won't they be worried about you?" Toma inquired, completely ignoring his parents' presence. This seemed to somewhat irk Narai, but he kept quiet.

"Yeah, but my family might not be too surprised about the yoroi." Seiji could almost see the question marks in the others' eyes.

"You mean they know about Korin!" Shu cried suddenly.

Seiji waved his hands. "No no! My family runs a dojo, and we practice with weapons there. The legend of the Samurai Troopers has been passed down through my family line for generations since an old soothsayer once told us that one of our family line was to be a Trooper. They knew something was up when I was suddenly a master of the no-datchi, and they almost immediately guessed that I had the yoroi when I would start giving off green light when provoked. I never actually told them that I have a yoroi. It's just… I'm pretty sure they won't bother me, now." He seemed to sudenly acknowledge Shin's mother and sister. "Not that you're bothering us, of course!"

The two of them nodded. "Yes, I understand." The mother looked back at Shin. "So, you truly have been well?"

Shin nodded. "Yes, Mum. These guys take good care of me." Ryo's hand appeared on Shin's shoulder.

"Shin, you alright?"

Shin looked up. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, when Kikoutei got me back there, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Shin smiled. "Nope. You did fine, Ryo." He looked back at his mother and sister. "So, when did you get here? It's a long flight to here from England."

"Well, we got tickets the minute we saw you on the report. Our flight left early this morning and we rented a car to get here." Sayako explained.

Shin's eyes widened. "Gosh! Aren't you tired?"

Sayako shrugged. "Nah. We slept most of the ride here."

Toma, Seiji, Shu, and Ryo split up to do their own things. Ryo and Seiji paired up and wandered off to train with the Kikoutei no-datchi. It had been determined that the Kikoutei yoroi had five different weapons. It had the identicle weapons of each of the five Samurai armors, and Ryo was anxious that he didn't know how to use them. As the two of them began to spar, Toma reclined by the lake to do some thinking while Shu found a spot in a tree. As Shin continued to converse with his small family, Naste gave Ania a long hard stre before bobbing her head in the solitary Toma's direction. Finally, Ania sighed and nodded. She stood and placed a hand on Narai's shoulder.

"I'm gonna go talk to Toma." She whispered. Narai huffed and continued to glare at a random direction as if the object of his annoyance had no right to infiltrate his light of sight.

Toma could sense his mother approach. He could feel the way the wind moved around her as she walked, but he paid little attention to her. After all, what could she possibly have to say to him?

"Toma?" she called gently. Gentler than he had expected from her. "Toma?"

"What?" Toma grumbled. He couldn't force himself to speak harshly to her. Not when she was being gentle.

Naste watched the two talk for a while, waiting for one of them to apologize, opr at least do something of that nature. She could clearly tell that Mrs. Hashiba was not too well versed in maternal customs since she stumbled and tripped over her words constantly. In her mind, Naste bgan to encourage the woman, almost as if she expected to suddenly develop a mind link and telepathically send her encouragement out. She couldn't help but smile broadly as Toma leaned, ever so cautiously over and gingerly placed his head on her shoulder, as if he was no longer listening. That meant that Ania, clumsy as she was, had gotten her message across. Naste sighed out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. The qualms between Toma and his mother were, by no means, over, but they had been somewhat calmed. There was still a lot of healing to be done, but it was at least a step in the right direction. She looked to Ania's husband, but his attention was no longer on his son, but at the display of swordsmanship in the center of the yard. Naste, too, found herself watching the two of them spar. Ryo looked like an expert with his sword. But Ryo also looked exhausted. His eyes had slightly glazed over and his visible skin shone with sweat. She sighed again and shook her head. She abandoned her chair and approached the two, listening to their conversation as she went.

"You're good, Ryo." Seiji was saying as she got close enough to hear. "You ever used the no-datchi before?"

"No." Ryo panted, taking up a wide stance and holding his sword up. "I think… it's Kikoutei."

"Huh?" Seiji's mind beagn to panick as the thought of Kikoutei influencing Ryo's outside actions appeared.

"I think Kikoutei's given me mastery of all its weapons." Ryo answered. "I can feel its power in the sword."

Seiji gave a short exhale to calm his breathing and scratched his head. "I have a theory about that."

"Whad'dya mean?"

"Well, our armors gave us almost instant mastery of our individual weapons, but if Kikoutei suddenly gave you instant mastery of all five… it seems to me that it would overload your senses. Catch." Seiji tossed his sword over to Ryo, who caught it with his free left hand. The blade instantly sank to the ground.

"Dang! This thing is heavy!" Ryo cried, attempting to lift it.

"Hmm… toss me yours."

Ryo obliged and tossed the pearly handled sword to Seiji, who caught it with ease. "No." Seiji began. "Your sword is the same wieght as mine." He suddenly yelped and threw the weapon to the ground, holing his right hand. "Now I get it."

"What?" Ryo inquired as he managed to sloppily swing Seiji's sword around. "You get what?"

"Your Kikoutei no-datchi. It's made so only you can use it. It becomes almost weightless so you can swing it around with the speed of a katana, but it guides your movements to a certain extent to change what you know about your katanas into the use of your no-datchi." Seiji looked at his hand ans blew on it a bit. "And it rejects everyone but you from touching it."

Ryo sighed and handed Seiji's sword back before stooping to scoop his own up. "Well, let's try again."

Naste figured it was time to stop listening. She put a hand on Ryo's shoulder. "Not now, Ryo. You need to get some rest now. You'er working your body too hard."

"But Naste-!"

"But nothing. If you want to be in any condition to fight Takai, go inside and rest right now." With that said, she spun on her heel and headed back to the porch.

Ryo stared after her. "Was that an expression of concern or a threat?"

Seiji laughed and dismissed his sword. "I think it was both." His subarmor dissolved back into his civvies and he began walking toward the house. "We'll work on it again later. Maybe we can try the bow, too."

"Hai hai!" Ryo smiled and followed.

Back on the porch, Shin was wrapping up his conversation with his family when his sister stood. "Oh no! What time is it?"

"Three thirty. Why?" Shin stood as well.

"We should probably get going. We haven't made hotel arrangements yet and we need to get an early start since it's often hard to find a hotel with the right facilities to suit Mum." She answered quickly. She began to help her mother get out of the chair.

"Iie!" Shin cired. "Naste-san, would it be alright if they stayed here? At least for one night? I know it's a lot to ask but…" He trailed off. He hated the thought of asking more of Naste than she was already giving, but he liked the idea of sending his weak mother and sister out into Shinjuku without any protection at all even less.

Naste smiled. "Of course they can. Please, stay as long as you like." She answered happily, looking at the two of them.

"Oh, we couldn't trouble you." Shin's mother smiled.

"But you're not. I couldn't forgive myself if I let you wander around Shinjuku with no protection." Shin begged, giving his sister a large pair of puppy eyes.

"Really. It's no trouble at all." Naste assured them.

Sayako sighed and smiled.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sayako yawned and slowly walked down the stairs. It was a little after one in the morning, but Sayako couldn't sleep. She felt, whenever she lay in bed, that someone was jabbing needles into her arms and legs. She finally decided to wander around to try to shake off the feeling. She walked across the livingroom and into the kitchen, only to find someone already at the table. The lights were off, but she could tell, even in the darkness, who it was. "Ototo-sama?(1)"

His head shot up, his body jumping a bit in surprise. "Sayako? What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I asked first." Shin smirked weakly.

"I couldn't sleep." She motioned to him, prodding him to give an answer.

"Same here." Shin answered, looking at his coffee.

Sayako sat down across from him. She could tell that something was wrong. She could smeel the coffe that came from his mug. Shin never drank coffee before. And the dim moonlight that hit his face revealed deep dark circles around his eyes, accompanied by heavy bags. It was obvious.

He hadn't slept in days.

"Ototo-sama, what's wrong with you? You look like you haven't slept in a weak!" she cried.

Shin resisted the heavy urge to tell her of his troubles. He so wanted to tell someone, allow another to help him carry the burden of Takai's haunting presence. But he had promised himself he would not lay his burdensome problems on anyone else. His whole purpose of being a Samurai Trooper was to protect other from the horrors of war. It all seemed pretty redundant if he told such a thing to her. He stood and walked into the livingroom, where he sat on a couch. Sayako soon followed, sitting down next to him.

"Ototo-sama?" She whispered. "What's wrong?"

Shin smiled and looked at her. "Iie, Sayako. It has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me!" Sayako countered. Shin paused at her ferocity. "You're my brother. You're my one and only brother. I can plainly see your pain. I already lost father, don't let me lose you too. Please, Ototo-sama! Please, tell me what's wrong! I want to help you!"

"Sayako…"

"Shin, I can't wear ancient yoroi, and I can't wield a weapon. But what I can do is help heal the wounded. It's clear that you are hurt. But I can't heal you if you don't let me know what the problem is." She put a hand to his face. "Please, Shin. I want to help."

Shin could feel tears behind his eyes. Before he could stop himself, he began talking. He told of Takai, the nightmares, the pain in his head, the posession, and the haunting since. He continued until his voice cracked with sobs. The entire time, Sayako stared at him, her eyes never wavering from his agonized face. She was horrified at his story, but she attempted to stife her feelings. If she was to help him, she had to be strong. After his story had ended, and his sobs dwindled, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close. He ceased talking, but continued to sob as he wrapped his arms around his sister, thanking whatever fates were watching him that he had her. She and his mother were some of the few constant things in his life. He saw his friends in and out. His father left when he was young. But through everything, his sister was there, and his mother was there, giving him all the support they could spare.

"Sleep, Shin. You won't be able to fight if you don't get some sleep."

"No." Shin insisted, though his body seemed to relax.

"But Shin…"

"Iie, Sayako. I'm not going to sleep until Takai's presence is completely out of my mind." He answered. The two had still not broken their embrace, and they simply sat still, holding each other, one trying to comfort, the other trying to compose himself. Shin had to admit that sharing his pain with Sayako gave him a certain amount of peace. It was as if a pressure in his chest had been partially relieved, allowing him to breathe more freely. But his burden was not fully lifted. No matter how many people he told of his troubles, they would not serve to banish the festering darkness in the back of his mind. Though he knew his fears were baseless, he couldn't help but feel terror as he imagined himself succumbing to sleep only to have Takai's presence grow stronger and steal his body once again. He had to wonder if Shu felt the same way. It certainly didn't seem to. Of course… it only stood to reason that he didn't. When they had helped Shu free himself, Shu had banished every trace of Takai's presence from his mind, simply because he had done it himself. Shin wasn't that stron. Takai had willingly abandoned him to posess Shu, leaving a small circle of influence in his mind, its only purpose to torture him. Even now, Shin was not powerful enough to cast Takai away. At that moment, Shin felt as useless as ever. Shu had been able to break free because he was strong. Shin was so weak, he had let Takai's presence weave its way into his mind so much that he couldn't isolate the small amount that remained, all because he was weak.

_You are just as strong as the rest of us. But in your own way. If you were weak, then why would Suiko have chosen you?_

Shin thought back to that day a lifetime ago when Seiji had urged him to channel Kongo into Ryo. He had to admit, he was tempted to believe Seiji's words. If he were weak, why would Suiko have chosen him? But at the same time, his mind refused to acknowledge the logic as anything more than a distant wish. He sighed and held his sister ever tighter.

"Then neither will I."

Shin pulled away slightly to look at her. "Eh?"

"If you won't sleep, then neither will I."

"Sayako… you can't-!"

"And why not?" She commanded firmly. "I want to help heal the wounded. You are wounded, are you not?"

"But Sayako… what can-?"

"But your wound is not physical. Your confidence and mind are in shambles right now. I cannot bandage such a thing. But you know what they say, 'Misery loves company'." She smiled and tapped his nose.

"But I don't want-!"

"This is the only thing I can do for you right now. I cannot help you fight. But perhaps knowing that I willingly suffer with you will help ease your pain."

"Sayako, you'll-!"

"Don't worry about me. If you can handle it, I can too." Sayako smiled.

Shin couldn't help but return it. "You're really not letting me get a word in-!"

"You haven't completed a sentence yet, have you?" She wagged her finger at him gently.

Shin smiled and pulled her close again. "Domo arigatou, Ne-sama.(2)" He whispered over her shoulder.

"You have saved the world many times. It's about time someone saved you."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Master Takai!"

"What, Lai?"

"Our spies have confirmed that the Samurai Troopers' families have shown up at their residence. Sa far, we have confirmed the presence of Suiko's mother and sister as well as Tenku's parents." Lai answered, appearing and bowing deeply.

Takai rolled his eyes. "Lai, I told you to abandon that mission. Those mortals are of no use to us."

"But, Master Takai! The families of the Samurai Troopers! A fatal weakness! Why couldn't you use them?"

"Lai, I grow weary of possessing mere mortals to deal with the Samurai Troopers. I've decided to finish them off myself. I've come too far to have my revenge carried out by weak humans. I'm gathering my strength to meet them for the final time. It would be a waste of effort and power to possess mere humans." Takai answered calmly.

"But… Master Takai-!"

"Silence!" Takai growled. "Just continue your mission with the units in the South Wing. When you've finished there, report to Kuri. She will have all the final assignments." Lai bowed and left.

Takai growled again as he servant vanished. _The time has almost come for the Samurai Troopers to face the full force of Emperor Takai.

* * *

Kitty-chan: Once again, little to no time. How did you like it? Review! Woo! Just two translations this time._

1 Ototo-sama: Little brother (high respect)  
2 Ne-sama: Older sister (High respect)

Okay! Preview for the final chapter!

* * *

"If you're going to kill me, hurry up and do it. You're beginning to bore me." Ryo gritted his teeth.

* * *

_This is hopeless...

* * *

_"Ryo! He'll kill you!" Toma objected.  
"I know."

* * *

_He's gonna try and get away! ... Not while I'm alive!

* * *

_"SHIN!"

* * *

There you have it. Intense chappy, yes. Anway, there will be the next chapter and an epilogue. So, I hope you look foreward to the next chapter! Review! 


	11. Day Eleven: Showdown in Shinjuku

Kitty-chan: OMG! I finally got this chapter up! This chapter has taken me forever to type up, mainly because I hadn't written the battle sequences yet, and the battles in this chapter are key. So... it took a while perfecting them and making sure all the different elements worked together. Thank you for all your reviews! I'll do the thanks to each individually again. I like doing that. XD

Rogue Ronin: I have to say that I am also a major Shu fan. That was one thing that did bug me about the story was that Shu didn't get as big of a role as, say, Shin. But that's okay. I love him to death. Cute, and knows how to stay light-hearted. I'm glad you like the story. I have worked very hard on it and I'm actually very pleased with how it all turned out.

Inda: Thank you. I really enjoy it when certain people review several times. It means that they are following the story, and that's the kind of stories I want to write, ones that hold people's intrest so much that they come back again and again to see what I've written.

JJ: Thank you so much! I've written many Ronin Warriors stories, but this one is the best, and my first Samurai Troopers fic. I'm really excited. Thank you for your support!

Lena17: Thanks . I am so glad that this holds your intrest. Yeah. About Naste, when I was writing the section where she's talking to Ania, I noticed how much of a counselor she was being in this story. And now that I think of it, I kind of always thought of her as kind of the support that the guys needed to keep fighting, and one of the jobs she had as that support was the role of a counselor of sorts. I think that came across really well here.

Rukia Yukishiro: Oh don't worry. The Epilogue is where you see RyoxNaste. You see, there were so many elements in the main chapters that adding one more element would be a bit too much, and it seemed that aside from offering Ryo a bit more support than the others, there didn't seem to be much time for the two of them to move their relationship foreward amidst all the battling and things. Once everything calms down, they'll be able to focus on other things... like each other! Awww...

Thank you so much for the support! And again, I apologize for taking so long to post this chappy. I hope you haven't given up one me. lol. Really fast, I don't own the Samurai Troopers. They are property of Sunrise Inc. And... name translations!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji  
Byakuen: White Blaze  
Yamano Jun: Yuli Yamano

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock  
Kikoutei: Inferno  
Go Retsu Ken: Soul Swords of Fervor

Enjoy! The stuff with ( ) next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

"Remember to set your sight along the arrow, Ryo." Toma instructed as Ryo fitted an arrow to his white Kikoutei bow, and aimed for the target. "Now when Shu throws it, remember to follow the target until you can get a good shot. Don't aim and wait for the target to come to you, since that is often a tendency. Aim for the target as it flies. Alright?" 

"Hai." Ryo nodded, concentrating fully on the block of wood in Shu's hand.

"Ready, set… go!" Toma cried, throwing his hand into the air.

Shu launched the block of wood into the air and Ryo let the arrow fly. The arrow impaled the block, causing it to explode in a white flash. Toma clapped Ryo on the back. "Great job, Ryo!" Ryo smiled and loaded another arrow.

Meanwhile, Seiji and Shin were working on agility exercises under the eyes of Shin's family, Naste, and Toma's parents. They began a super speed run around the house, tossing a ball back and forth, and becoming nothing more than blue and green streaks to the witnesses. "Keep your focus, Shin!" Seiji yelled as he jumped over Toma and Ryo, who didn't even blink.

There was a feeling of unease about the whole house. The Troopers had a feeling. Today was the day. They would either kill Takai, or be killed trying. Ryo had proved to be a master of all five weapons, and they were now simply getting him comfortable with each one.

The five on the porch were dimly aware of the Troopers' unease, but were ignorant to the reason. There was almost a sense of grief about them, a suffocating haze that was seemingly without source, but glaringly obvious.

Shu launched another block of wood into the air. Ryo followed it, but stopped halfway to aim the arrow at a place in the bushes. He released the arrow and vanished with a groan from its victim. The Samurai Troopers tensed violently as a black-clad ninja dropped from the bush and vanished into black dust.

"A spy!" Seiji cried as Shin and himself tossed the ball aside and halted their run. Ryo quickly drew another arrow into his bow as Toma's bow and a few arrows appeared in his hand. They shot two arrows into the bushes, and two more ninjas fell. A silver flash erupted from the brush, speeding toward Ryo. He had no time to react before the silver object shot across his hand, causing him to grunt loudly and drop his bow, clutching his right hand. He looked down to see that a ninja's dagger had carved a deep slice on the side of his hand, right below his thumb. Toma flew backwards into the center of the yard, his bow leaving his hand and a yelp of surprise escaping his throat.

Ania stood. "Toma!"

"I'm alright!" Toma grunted, sitting up and glaring at the youja that had slammed its shoulder into Toma's chest. "They're here!"

Five more ninjas appeared from behind the trees, taunting the Troopers with their presence. The Troopers lined up for a fight, their clothes being replaced by their under gear. There was a brief and tense pause between the enemies before the ninjas turned on their heels and took off into the forest. "After them! Let's go!" Ryo commanded. The five of them disappeared into the trees, keeping the enemy in sight. They were headed for the city.

Naste stood, putting her hand on Ania's shoulder. "I'm going after them."

"I'm coming too!" Sayako insisted, helping her mother out of her chair. "And so is Mum." Suki nodded firmly.

"Well, Narai and I aren't just going to sit here, either." Ania added as she and her husband stood. Naste smiled.

"Alright. They're headed for downtown. Let's go." The five of them hopped into Naste's jeep and sped down the road.

"They'll be alright, won't they?" Sayako inquired as they left the Yagyu estate.

Naste nodded. "I hope so."

"Well, they have that really strong white yoroi, don't they?" Suki pointed out hopefully.

"Yes, but that yoroi is so dangerous, they won't use it unless they have no other choice." Naste sighed, then gasped as she screeched the car to a halt.

"What's wrong, Naste-sama?" Ania inquired gently.

Naste leapt out of the car and ran toward the large approaching figure. The four passengers vacated the jeep in time to see a large white tiger tackle Naste to the ground, and attack her face with its tongue. "Naste-san!" Sayako screamed.

Naste laughed and the spectators seemed to relax a bit, the realization dawning on them that the animal was not going to harm her. She pushed the tiger back far enough to embrace it. "Byakuen! What are you doing here?" Byakuen stared at her with his all-too-intelligent brown eyes.

"Ane-san(1)!" cried a young voice, though older than Naste had last heard it. Naste looked up at the dark-haired young man that was quickly running at her and her feline companion. "Ane-san!

"Jun-chan!" Naste smiled and stood. The fourteen-year old boy reached Naste and bowed respectfully before rushing to give her a hug.

"It's so great to see you, Ane-san! I haven't seen anyone in a long time!" Jun cried into her shirt.

"It's great to see you, too, but why are you out here? Don't you and your parents live on the opposite side of Shinjuku?" Naste inquired, and Jun pulled away.

Jun nodded. "Yeah, we do. But we came here following Byakuen. I don't know what's wrong with him. He suddenly started roaring, and when I let him into the back, he took off. My parents are coming in the car." Jun pointed at the van coming straight at them. "I don't know what's going on. Heck, I don't even know why Byakuen is here. I'm glad to have him, but wouldn't he be of more use to Ryo? I mean, Ryo is a park ranger and all…" Jun trailed off, looking around.

"Ryo's about to get into a battle. Byakuen probably senses danger." Naste informed him.

Jun's van pulled up and his parents stepped out. "You got him, Jun-chan?" His father called.

"Ah, Papa." Jun answered. His parents approached and listened in on the conversation. "Ryo's in a battle? But they already killed Arago. What's going on? And how do you know he's in a battle?"

"It's a long story. Ryo and the others are staying at my house until this war is over. Haven't you been watching the news lately?" Naste placed her hands on her hips. "It's been covered on the news for the past… I dunno, week!"

Jun shook his head. "I didn't see any of that. We've been on vacation in Izumo. We haven't so much as turned a TV on in the past two weeks!" He paused. "Chotto(2)… Onisan-tachi(3) have been staying with you and the most I get is a visit from Byakuen? What's up with that?"

Naste sighed. "They've been kind of busy. Ryo sent Byakuen over to your house to keep an eye on you. They ended up staying at my place again by mistake. It's no big deal, but I'm guessing Ryo-kun's going to be in trouble soon. They seemed really tense today. All five of them. It was as if there was a feeling of doom around the house."

Jun scratched his head. "Well, you said Ryo acted like that right before the deal with Mukala, right?" Naste nodded. "Something big's happening today, then. There's no mistake about it." Naste nodded.

Suddenly, Byakuen let out a haunting roar and took off down the street again, but not at top speed, as if he knew the group was going to follow him. The father grabbed Jun's hand. "Listen, I don't have a clue what you're talking about, but let's follow Byakuen. We can all ride in our van."

Naste nodded and pulled her jeep off to the shoulder of the road and locked it before hopping into the Yamano van and following after Byakuen.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Frantic whispered spread like a wave over the street of Shinjuku as the fully armored Samurai Troopers walked down the streets, searching for the enemies. They had followed them to the city's edge, but they had then been lost in the crowded streets. As they continued their walk, they received looks from all over the scale of feelings Shinjuku had developed for them. Multiple girls stared at them and seemed to melt if a Trooper made eye contact. They received death glares and thumbs up from a few young men off to the side, while many mothers pulled their children close, apprehension in their eyes. Some mothers forced their children to look away and sent scowls at them, while others simply stared with blank expressions. The Troopers couldn't have felt more alien.

It wasn't long before they found themselves near the exact street where Lai, Shu, and Kuri had attacked mere days ago. Technically, it was a few days ago, but to the Troopers, it seemed like a lifetime. Time seemed so irrelevant of late. The days in which there were battles flew by, but then, time seemed to move at a snail's pace as Ryo trained with Kikoutei. Whether it moved slowly or quickly, overall, it seemed to have little importance in their lives.

Time sped up once again as something flashed in Toma's peripheral vision. "Ryo!" He yelled, grabbing the attention of everyone that heard him. The flash struck Ryo's already sliced hand. Ryo yelped and grabbed his hand, spinning around. All the people on the streets had gathered around, anticipating yet another exciting fight. Kuri was standing right behind Ryo suddenly, and allowed a smirk to curve her lips.

"Hey, Sweetie, how're you?"

Ryo's bloodied left hand lashed out, striking her in the face, drawing a coo from the audience, and causing Kuri to reel back. "Get away from me, freak!" Ryo cried angrily.

"Ah, don't be that way." She purred, acting as if nothing had happened. "I give you an expression of my love, and you hit me?" She feigned offense. "And you know you aren't supposed to hit a lady." She wagged her finger at him. "I suppose I'll have to punish you." She held up her right hand and snapped her fingers loudly.

Ryo froze and grunted before dropping to his knees, feeling something in his body respond to her snap. There was a warm sting that began to fester in his hand, before shooting through his body like icy fire. His entire body trembled and he could feel his face flush with an instant fever. "What did you… do to me?" He demanded hesitantly.

"Dammit!" He heard Seiji yell from back where the knife had landed. "Ryo! That was one of those dark knives the ninjas use! It's poisoned!"

Kuri giggled and pulled out her two long daggers. "How am I supposed to show my love for you," Her tongue tapped the blade's edge. "If you don't hold still long enough for me to demonstrate?" She launched herself at him, daggers held out in front of her. She screamed suddenly as Shin plowed into her side and sent her flying into a nearby building.

"We're not interested in playing with you, woman! We want Takai!" Shin yelled, pointing his spear at her. The four had created a semi-circle, forming a blockade between the nether spirit and their injured leader.

"Oh, so sorry, Hun, but you'll have to deal with me first." She crossed her daggers at the bases and began to run the edges along one another slowly, creating a high-pitched wail. Shin and the others yelped and held their helmets, which did little to stop the sound from rattling his eardrums. The surrounding crowd also groaned loudly and held their palms over their ears at the sound. Shin was suddenly thrown backward as a faceless ninja rammed into him. The screeching stopped, and Shin shook his head and stood. The ninja jumped up and threw himself down at Shin, his daggers held out to strike. Shin held up his spear, catching the ninja and its daggers on his arms. The ninja quickly wrapped its legs around Shin's arms and tightened their grip on them firmly. Shin swore he saw the creature smile. His arms were locked in place,

And he was stuck.

He growled at the head of the enemy. Nothing but red eyes glared back at him from beneath the hood. He looked around to see that the other three had also become trapped by the ninjas in the same fashion. He growled again.

They were stuck too.

Ryo managed to look up at Kuri. He was pleased to discover that he was nowhere near passing out, but his body refused to move. It was as if his knees had sprouted roots, holding him firmly in place. His armor could heal him. There was no doubt in his mind about that, but it could only do so much. And it would take a few minutes for the yoroi to purge his bloodstream. But… he really didn't think he had a few minutes. Kuri smirked and began to fondle her blade. "Humans are strange creatures, indeed. Your reflexes are so slow, and you let just about anything influence you. Wouldn't you agree?" She gave a wicked smirk at Ryo. Ryo growled and looked down. He wasn't going to argue. His will was indeed weak. How else would one explain the ease with which the Kikoutei had overpowered him?

Kuri shifted her gaze to Shin. The warrior found himself burning with pure hatred. He knew his armor was enhancing the anger, but he didn't care. How dare she use that to mock him? He was powerless to strike, however, due to the ninja's trap.

Kuri finally looked to Shu. Shu's eyes narrowed dangerously and fought ever harder to get past the ninja. At last, her gaze returned to Ryo. "But I must say that I'm impressed with your strength, Ryo. Your strength could make you great you know. I mean, how many of the humans around you can manipulate fire like you can? You could take over the entire mortal world with your kind of power. But you'll never become the great man you could be playing this savior role." She knelt and placed the edge of her knife behind his jawbone, right behind his ear, then softly drew the blade down his jaw, careful not to break the skin. When the point reached his chin, she put pressure on the knife to force him to look up. "Takai can help you become truly great, you know. He could make you ruler over the entire mortal realm. He's a very forgiving Lord."

"If you're gonna kill me, hurry and do it. You're beginning to bore me." Ryo gritted his teeth.

Kuri stood, a careless look on her face. "What about my generous offer?"

"If I could pretend to care about it, I assure you, I would. But to be honest, I can't even do that. That good enough for you? I'll die a thousand deaths before I join Takai." He spat.

"Oh, how noble." She rolled her eyes. "Come now, Ryo. I don't want to have to kill you. You really are a cutie." She struck a subtle pose, confident that no harm would come to her at the moment. "And so am I. We'd make the perfect couple."

Ryo smiled. "If I were you, I'd kill me fast. Because once the others blow up those ninja dudes, your cutie ass is toast."

"You asked for it." Kuri sighed and made a face.

"Three times, actually." Ryo laughed ruefully. Kuri took a few steps foreword, and drew her dagger back. _Sayonara, Naste._ The dagger suddenly hit the ground before him and the other soon followed. He looked up to see Kuri pinned to the ground beneath Byakuen's large paws. She had on an absolutely terrified expression. "Byakuen!" Ryo cried, feeling relief flood his poisoned veins.

"Ryoni-san!(4)" a young voice called.

Ryo turned as best as he could to the teen shove his way through the crowd, Naste, Shin's family, Toma's parents, and Jun's parents shove their way into the clearing. "Jun! What are you doing here?"

"I brought Byakuen. He knew something was going on with you!"

"Ryo-kun." Naste whispered, drawing his attention.

Ryo slowly stood, his body aching. _Kun? Since when does she call me that?_ He shook his head. "You shouldn't be here."

"Has that ever worked on me before?" Naste put a hand on her hip.

Ryo smiled. He could feel his armor returning strength to his body, but his right hand was going to be absolutely useless for a while. He couldn't even feel it anymore. He supposed the daggers had severed the nerves in his hand. He also supposed that it was fortunate. At least he wouldn't have to deal with pain. He used his left hand to draw out a katana. With one wild motion, he cleaved all four ninjas that held the four Samurai captive in half. The four Troopers smiled and moved foreword. "Ready minna?" Ryo inquired. Kuri's attention drew over to the Troopers and she tensed even more, if that was indeed possible. "Samurai Troopers… to arms!" The five rushed foreword, completely surrounding Kuri and Byakuen. Kuri growled and her arm lashed out, swiping her dagger across Byakuen's chest. The tiger roared painfully and stumbled backward. Jun and Ryo dashed to his side as Kuri stood.

"Byakuen!" Ryo cried, sheathing his katana and kneeling beside his feline companion. "Byakuen, are you alright?"

The tiger looked up at him, his brown eyes strong. Jun waved at Ryo. "I'll watch over him, Ryoni-san. You go take care of that girl." Ryo sighed and nodded. He stood and ran over to where a standoff had begun between the four Troopers and Kuri. He redrew his katana and aimed it at Kuri. "Ready guys?"

"Anytime, Ryo." Shu answered eagerly.

"Now, who said you could start without me?" A male voice inquired from behind Shu. Shu turned and was met with a powerful strike to the gut. Shu fell onto his back, gasping for breath. Lai smirked and raised his staff a second time, this time, to plow it into Shu's head. Shin met him halfway, catching the staff and throwing it off, adding in a kick to Lai's jaw in the process. Lai stumbled back as Shu leapt to his feet and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. He growled at Lai and ran up to stand about five feet from him. Shin ran up behind him, ready to join the brawl.

Shu grunted. "Stand away, Shin. Lai's mine."

"Huh? But Shu-!"

"No, Shin. It's payback time for all you guys have put us through, and I've got a score to settle with you." Shu insisted, growling at Lai.

"Score?" Shin inquired, straightening and relaxing his battle position.

"Just a little something that went on in Takai's castle when the moron took control of me." Shu answered evenly, rage filling each word.

Lai smirked and twirled his staff around. "You're not still mad about that are you?" He chuckled. "It was just a bit of fun. And besides, Kuri helped me out."

"Shu, what happened?" Ryo inquired quietly, catching the gist of the conversation, but not taking his eyes off of Kuri.

"It's not important. All you need to know is that Lai is mine!" He rushed foreword to lock his bo against Lai's weapon. The two struggled like that for a long moment before Shu shoved one end of his bo into Lai's side, sending the enemy flying off to the side. He laughed, but then yelped as a whip wrapped around his middle and gave him a dose of negative energy. He ripped the chord off and plowed his fist into the ninja that held it. He tensed as he looked around. They had been completely surrounded by ninjas.

Shin stepped up to stand back-to-back with Shu. "You take care of Lai. I'll watch your back!"

"Thanks, Shin." Shu smirked and charged at Lai again.

Kuri raced foreword and sliced her daggers down at Ryo, who blocked with his single katana. She smiled at him and winked a bit. "Aw, come on, Ryo. Why do we have to do this?"

Ryo growled. "Because you can't get it through your head that I have no interest in a pawn of Takai like you."

Kuri screamed as Seiji slammed his shoulder into her side and ran at her, no-datchi drawn. She smirked at Seiji. "You should mind your own business, Korin. This really has nothing to do with you."

Toma lined up beside Seiji. "Get used to it, Kuri. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us." He fitted an arrow to his bow and let it fly. Kuri vanished and reappeared behind him. A swipe of her dagger left a deep crevice in the back of Toma's armor. Toma yelled and dropped to his knees. Kuri raised a second dagger, poised and aimed at the back of his helmet.

"I've got one for you, now. Mess with me and you die." She threw her dagger down at the blue armor, but was met halfway by a large sword. She glared up at Seiji. "You're really starting to annoy me, you know that?"

"The feeling's mutual." Seiji countered, throwing her away. Kuri growled and held up one of her daggers. Black energy swirled around it before she launched it at Seiji. Seiji dodged to the side, avoiding it for the most part, reducing the damage it could've cause to a slice in his side. He grunted, but plowed ahead, his sword's tip aimed directly at her. Kuri's face lost its sharpness and a fearful look took hold of her black eyes.

Toma stood and placed a hand gingerly on his back. Dang… that hurt. He looked around and noticed a few straggling ninjas that Shin had not managed to deal with. He ran foreword and sliced the tip of his bow through the nearest ninja, then loaded up a few arrows. As he let them fly he pondered their current situation. _It looks to me like we might take Kuri and Lai down. But all that unease this morning wasn't the feeling of us killing those two? Are we in over our heads here?_

Kuri wound up to throw the second dagger at Seiji, but something caught her wrist. She looked back to see Ryo smiling down at her, her wrist caught firmly in his left hand. She pulled on it a few times, but to no avail. Even Ryo's left hand had ample power in it. Kuri looked back and forth between Ryo and Seiji's sword, desperately trying to find a way to escape. None seemed to come to mind at the moment.

Shin sliced through a ninja as Shu countered strike after strike. "Shu!" He called as Shu slammed Lai off to the side. Shu grunted, telling Shin that he had his attention. "What did Lai do to you that was so horrible?"

Shu growled and rushed at Lai again. "In Takai's realm, he allowed me to have my mind back. I was completely conscious, but I had no control over my body's movements. Takai walked me into a cell and locked me away for a few hours. Shortly after I was put in there, Lai came in. Kuri was with him. They beat me. For absolutely no reason, they beat me. It wasn't all that bad, but the fact that they did it without reason really burns me up." Shu countered a strike aimed for his head and struck again, gaining no more result than the previous strikes. Lai landed gracefully about ten feet away.

Lai shook his head. "Not true, Kongo. There was a reason behind your beating. Two, actually."

Shu tensed and aimed the knifed end of his bo at Lai. "Oh? Do tell."

Lai shrugged and spun his bo around to poise it behind his back. "One, people are easier to control when they are weak. Their will is not as impressive. Second… well… it was fun." He smiled wickedly.

Shin felt rage build up inside him and aimed his yari at the man. "Chodando!" He could feel his body naturally gather energy at the tip of the middle blade. With a cry, he released the torrent on the nether spirit. "Cho ryu ha!"

Lai gasped suddenly as the water crashed down on his body, completely crippling him. He sat one the ground, coughing up water, and looking for his fallen bo. His eyes had not yet spotted it when he heard a second cry. "Chodando!" Shu jumped into the air, twirling his bo above his head.

Shin's face grew worrisome. "Shu! Your attack is too powerful! The crowd-!"

Lai chuckled weakly. "Ha! Attack me and a group of these humans come with me!"

Shu's eyes flashed orange for a moment before he hurled the bo down at the nether spirit's head, the energy at the tip exploding into his sure-kill. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Lai? Gan Tessai!"

The energy unleashed on Lai, sending dust flying into the air around them. The sound of the concrete crumbling was almost deafening, and bits and pieces of cement were seen falling to earth. As the dust settled, Shin looked around. The ninjas had retreated for the moment. Their sure-kills were far too risky to attempt to withstand. He stared at Shu's handiwork. There was a huge crater in the ground, as if caused by a falling space-rock. Not a single civilian had been touched.

Shin dropped to his knees, supporting himself by his yari. How had he not noticed his strength waning so much that he could barely stand? _It must have been those ninjas. They were so numerous they wore me out, then that sure-kill took the last of my strength._ He looked up at Shu. "Shu… what happened? How did you…?" He moved foreword a bit as Shu also dropped to the ground, but he lay fully on his side, panting. "Shu…? Are you alright?"

Shu nodded, smiling weakly. "I'm fine, Shin. Just tired."

"What happened?" Shin requested quietly. "How did you do your attack without hurting the people?"

Shu chuckled proudly, but without strength. "I was able to strike Lai close enough that I could use the remainder of my power that wasn't going into the sure-kill to create a small force field that would surround the attack. That way, the attack would only strike a certain area, and no damage would come near the people."

Shin slowly made his way over to Shu and placed an armored hand on his shoulder. "Good job, my friend. That's using your head for once."

Shu laughed a bit. "Hey, now." Shin smiled as well. As soon as Toma, Seiji and Ryo were finished dealing with Kuri, they'd be able to go home hopefully. They needed the rest.

He looked up as Toma sliced through the last of the ninjas and shifted his attention as Kuri's left hand flashed out at Seiji. A small device, no bigger than a fist, attached to Seiji's chest, and electricity curled out of the center, coiling about Seiji's body. Seiji cried out and dropped to his knees, attempting to pry the gadget off. But by the time he managed to do it, it was a bit later than needed. Kuri laughed as Seiji kneeled on the ground, panting heavily, a light sweat covering his body.

"That's a little something Takai gave me today. It drains the life energy of anything it attaches to. If you leave it on too long, it could actually kill you." Kuri smirked, but her insides were writhing. _Great. I've saved myself for now. But what about Ryo? He's still got me, and as soon as Toma's attention comes this way, I have a feeling I'll be out of tricks._ She watches as a second set of ninjas dropped onto the pavement, completely surrounding Toma. She smirked again. _Thank you, Takai-sama._ Toma growled and immediately jumped into the air, firing arrow after arrow down at the enemies, careful to aim close enough to avoid striking any bystander.

Ryo's eyes narrowed as Toma busied himself with the ninjas. His glance wandered over to Seiji, who was still unable to get up due to his energy drain. Shu was lying on his back, his eyes only half open, and Shin was kneeling next to him, supporting himself by his yari. Ryo looked down at his useless right hand. This certainly was a fix. They had gotten out of worse, but that didn't stop Ryo's mind from asking the simple question, "what now?" He suddenly yelled as he felt something clamp onto his chest. He looked down to see the energy-zapping device attached to his chest plate, the electricity already emerging. Ryo immediately released Kuri to throw the device away, dropping to sit on the ground. He looked up, panting. Kuri was standing right above him, her daggers held in her hands.

"Looks like the tables have-!" She didn't even finish her sentence. Ryo stared at the golden top protruding from the woman's chest and smiled. Her body fell foreword, dissolving into black dust before it even hit the ground. Toma drew another arrow to his string and looked around, expecting another enemy to pop out from behind a building. When none came, he relaxed the string and dropped to his knees.

"Toma! You alright?" Ryo cried anxiously, staggering over to his comrade.

"I'll be alright. Let's just get home." Toma answered, laughing ruefully.

"I second that motion." Seiji quipped humorously. There was a subtle and gentle chuckle from the surrounding crowd and the Troopers were once again reminded of the presence of the civilians. They looked about at the smiling and frowning face. The eyes that portrayed fear, disgust, admiration, and thankfulness all in one unified stare at the five warriors.

Shin stood, attempting to support Shu, but failing miserably since the water lord could barely support himself. "Let's go home, Minna."

"Home? You want to go home? Sorry, but you'll have to stay and play a while longer." Came a deep booming voice that seemed to echo from nowhere and everywhere at once.

Ryo froze and tensed. "No…"

"Oh yes, Rekka. It's not your imagination. Takai has come at the worst possible time." A lurking figure seemed to suddenly appear off to the right, peeking out from behind the corner of a building. Slowly, almost torturously, the figure moved into the center of the clearing. A constant hiss seemed to come from him, and his red eyes flashed with bloodlust.

Ryo drew out his left katana and aimed at Takai. "What do you want, Takai?"

Takai shrugged and drew out a katana of his own. "I am here to collect what I have worked for from the beginning. I am here to get revenge on you for the defeat of Arago! Now is the time that we will test the strength of the Samurai Troopers against all the power Takai has to offer!"

Ryo growled, casting his glance about. He was certainly in no condition to fight, and the others were in even worse condition. This was possibly the worst time Takai could've chosen. He looked down at his right hand and glared at it as if blaming it for the fix he was in. After a few seconds, he began to notice a weak and faint aura glowing around it. A pale green aura. _Korin._ Ryo looked up at Seiji, whose eyes were closed tight in concentration, his hand stretched toward his.

Suddenly, three tentacles wound themselves around Seiji's waist and arms, drawing an immediate scream from his throat. "Seiji!" Ryo sliced through one of the three tentacles with his single katana. The other two squirmed a bit and released their captive. The one injured seemed to regenerate, regaining the length lost. Seiji was dropped to the pavement like a limp load with a slight yelp from him and a murmur from the surrounding crowd. Toma was at his side as soon as he could be with a body weak as his was.

"Seiji! Seiji, can you hear me?" Toma shook the man, but it rendered no result. The man was fast asleep, his body attempting to heal itself.

"How is he?" Shu grunted, moving away from Shin and gripping his Bo tight.

"Well, Seiji's armor may be able to heal him, but it's gonna take some time." Toma called back. "He didn't drain him nearly as badly as Shin."

"Toma!" Shu yelled. They watched as a powerful burst of energy from Takai sent Ryo flying. "Time is something we don't have a lot of!"

Ryo picked himself off the ground and glanced at his hand. "Why doesn't it stop bleeding?" he demanded of no one. He pointed his katana at Takai's face. _It must be the poison._

"Come now, Rekka no Ryo. It's an insult to Arago that you lose this easily." Takai laughed.

Ryo grunted. What could he do now? His right hand was far from healed, so he was stuck with a single katana in his untalented left hand. Plus, he was currently the only one in fighting condition. And even he had not the energy to match Takai's movements.

Toma's eyes narrowed. They were really in a fix. Takai had gone to great lengths to make sure Ryo as the only one able to fight. If they didn't think of something soon, Takai would have his revenge, and the entire mortal world with it.

_This is hopeless._ Ryo narrowed his eyes at Takai. He could feel his will to fight fleeing his body. There was one way to end this war. He knew it. This solution had always been there, but even Rekka no Ryo, Lord of Fire, feared the sacrifice it would required on his part, which is why he had not resorted to this sooner. But, at the same time, mingled with his fear, he felt a great deal of satisfaction and peace. The others would go back to normal lives, and his mission would finally be complete. He knew the explosive power of his yoroi could easily take Takai down, without the hindrances of a human body, of course. But still… he was afraid. _It doesn't matter anymore. The whole thing is because of me. If I started it… I'll fix it. On my own if I must. Whatever the cost, this war has to end!_

"Seiji…" Toma whispered, relieved as Seiji grunted and slowly opened his eyes. "You alright?"

"Ah." He nodded a bit then froze. "Eh?" He looked up at Ryo, lavender eyes wide.

"What's wrong, Seiji?" Shin inquired quietly.

"Something's happening in Ryo's will."

"It couldn't be Kikoutei!" Shu growled.

"No… it's not. I can't tell for sure, but his will is… different somehow. As if… it's weaker or something. Something is really wrong."

Ryo's left hand tightened around the hilt of his katana, and he raised the sword above his head. Takai tensed, but then let his stance relax a small amount as Ryo shoved the blade into the pavement. He then unsheathed his other weapon, and it joined its partner in the concrete. Ryo bowed his head and removed his helmet to place it under his arm. His eyes submissively slipped closed.

"Ryo-kun…" Naste felt a jolt in her chest. She didn't like the look on his face. There was only one time that she could remember that he had disarmed himself in front of an enemy. And that was when he first met her. Back when… "Ryo-kun!" fear turned to hot tears brimming in her eyes.

"Takai!" Ryo's words held hate fierce enough to rival Kikoutei's.

Takai's face assumed a blank look behind his golden mask. "You finally lost your mind, boy?" Ryo looked up at him, the hatred in his eyes rivaling with the hatred in his voice. "You have something to say to me?"

"As a matter of fact I do. The first of which is; you go to hell." Takai ignored him and he continued. "The second is that I acknowledge the Samurai Trooper's defeat in this war." He closed his eyes and he could immediately hear yells from all sides.

"Ryo, no!" Toma yelled angrily.

"You can't do that!" cam Shu's objection.

"How can we call ourselves Troopers if-?" Shin's voice was drowned out by Takai's infuriated exclamation.

"No! You can't surrender! I want to kill you in a fair fight! I don't want you to walk into my hand!"

Ryo motioned around with his left arm. "There's no point in continuing to fight!" He seemed to be talking more to his allies than to his enemy. "I'm the only one in fighting condition and my right arm, my dominant arm, is useless! It wouldn't be a fair fight even if we could continue!"

"Then I will return when you are ready." Takai snorted.

"Don't disgrace me! We finish this now!" Ryo yelled louder than ever.

The yelling began again, Takai's voice rising above them all. "I cannot have a fair fight with you now! I want my revenge!"

"There will be reparations!" Ryo yelled, quieting everyone and piquing Takai's attention. "We will form a compromise."

"Ryo! You can't really…? Don't stoop to his level!" Seiji yelled angrily.

Ryo turned his angry eyes on Seiji. The sweat on his face mingled with the tears that were now streaming down his cheeks. The tears, however, seemed out of place, compared to the look of hatred in his eyes. Seiji was taken aback by his appearance. The look in his eyes displayed two emotions. Ryo hated Takai with more intensity that he had ever hated anyone. And…

Ryo was terrified.

Seiji understood a small bit more than he did before. Ryo had made some kind of decision to end the war, but he was terrified to do it. But what was it that he had decided to do? Ryo finally spoke, and Seiji looked like he had been struck. "At least I know when enough is enough!"

Seiji paused. _Is he talking about how I pushed him in training with Kikoutei? But… he got through it._ What Seiji had done had been for the best to get Kikoutei under control, at least partially. Did Ryo feel embittered toward Seiji for the training?

"Don't make this any more humiliating than it already is!" Ryo continued, turning his back on Seiji and Toma.

"But Ryo… how can you form a compromise with a Yami no Sekai Lord?" Shin begged timidly.

"Yeah. How can you trust him not to invade earth again?" Shu added.

"Because I'm going to take away his incentive to invade again." Ryo said, quiet enough so the others could not hear. He turned falsely confident eyes on Takai. "Here's my proposal; you must go back to the Yami no Sekai and never attack earth again."

"And what do I get?" Takai crossed his arms and grunted.

"You get me." Ryo bowed his head. Rather than yells thrown at him from all angles, Ryo heard nothing but silence. It was an awkward and uncomfortable silence as the other four gaped at him, asking themselves if their leader was actually serious and not making some bad joke. "You came here to get back at me for killing Arago. If I go with you to the Yami no Sekai, there's no reason for you to come back here."

"Ryo! He'll kill you!" Toma objected.

"Don't you think I know that?" Ryo's voice held no emotion whatsoever. "I know what I'm doing, and I know full well what I will face. Takai will kill me when we get to the Yami no Sekai, but wouldn't it be foolish for me to die fighting and make my own death in vain?"

"In vain? How would it be in vain if you were to die fighting? At least you would have given it a shot." Seiji voiced weakly.

"I have given it a shot, the best shot that I have in my condition. You guys are, no offense, in no condition to fight. If Takai killed me in battle, knowing him, he'd kill you all next. Better for me to lose my one life than to sacrifice all of your lives because I was too stubborn to admit when I was down. That is why my death would be in vain."

"Ryo! You have no obligation to protect us!" Shu screamed.

Ryo turned to them again, this time a fierce urgency in his eyes. "Yes I do! You guys are my only family! I lost my family once. I'll be damned if I lose it again!"

"Will you…" Shu slowly worked himself onto his feet and began inching his way over to Ryo, using his Bo as a cane.

"Shu! Don't move! You're too-!" Ryo was cut off as Shu slammed his hand into the side of Ryo's face.

"… Stop being so selfish!" Shu dropped to his knees, his legs still unable to support him. Ryo fell onto his back with a grunt, dropping his helmet and sending Shu a surprised stare. He placed a hand to the struck area, finding a small cut in his temple, caused by Shu's armored hand.

"Shu… I thought…!"

"Shut up." Shu growled. "Have you ever thought that maybe your life is more important than a pawn is to a chess player!"

"Shu, I'm just-!"

"Stop being such a coward! You should know better than to try and compromise with an emperor of the Yami no Sekai! He has no intention of keeping to the Netherworld once he's killed you! It's obvious! We have no reason to trust him. Even if he does intend to keep his promise, we can't take that risk! We can't risk him going back on his word to have him attack the world and not having you to defend it! You're the strongest out of all of us when it comes to power, and you're the only one who can even wear Kikoutei, much less actually use it!" Shu continued to glare at him, but his tone sharpened. "I know you're afraid of failure, but we all are, really. If you go through with this, you'll be giving Takai everything he needs to conquer the entirety of the Yami no Sekai, and then the mortal world.

"Shu…" Ryo bowed his head, somewhat ashamed. "Gomen. But I can't think of any other way to end the war and keep everyone alive."

Shu smirked. "I can."

Ryo looked up and his eyes widened as he realized what Shu was hinting at. "You can't seriously mean…?" Shu shrugged. "No, Shu! I can't! I'm not strong enough in my condition!"

"You are strong enough, Baka! And we don't really have much of a choice, do we?"

"I accept!" cried a deep voice. Shu was sent flying as Takai's tentacles slammed into his side. He rammed into Ryo, sending him crashing into a building, creating a large crater in the wall. Ryo dropped from the crater to his hands and knees, then looked up at his enemy.

"W-What!"

"I accept your proposal. You gave me an offer, didn't you?" Takai grinned. He held out his hand and a large datchi appeared. "Now, come. This will be fun indeed."

Ryo looked around. _Now what?_ What would his friends say if he actually went through with it? And now that he thought about it, what would happen to the mortal world? Takai growled and ordered him to get up. Ryo didn't move. His mind was frantically trying to add all the factors together to come up with a logical action, but his mind was too frantic to make the decision. Takai growled again in disapproval and brought his datchi up, whistling through the air, and carving a large slice in Ryo's chest plate.

Ryo yelped and stood, staggering backwards into the crater again. Takai struck him again, bringing the back of the blade this time down on Ryo's shoulder. Takai tapped his empty hand with the datchi. "Now do as I say! Come with me!"

Ryo shifted his eyes to Seiji, who stared back at him with concerned urgency. Ryo nodded at him and stood up straight. "The offer, as you put it, has been, sadly, repealed. It seems that four of the five Samurai Troopers don't think we've lost. And you know how majority rules, and all." He smirked and jumped past Takai, running low along the ground before gripping his helmet and putting it back on his head. He then grabbed one of the katanas and held it out. "If you think I'd hand over the mortal world to you, you're dead wrong!"

Takai sighed in exasperation. "But I have no desire to conquer the mortal world."

"Not according to Kuri, you octopus. You wanted a fair fight? I'll give you one!" Ryo tensed and Takai shrugged.

"It's your funeral boy." Takai launched himself at Ryo and the two locked blades. Ryo grunted. He was this side of powerless without the use of his right hand. His left arm was weak and easily overtaken by Takai's large datchi. His eyes widened as a second weapon appeared in Takai's free hand. This time, it was a large steel bo, very plain. He gripped it and swung it around to slam it into Ryo's side. Ryo yelled as he was thrown to the ground, feeling at least three of his ribs snap at the impact of the bow, and one or two more as he hit the pavement. He lay still on the ground, gasping for breath, and barely able to move. A pulsing red light began to shoot from his armor and Ryo's eyes shot open as a loud yell was heard.

"Ryo!" Shu called, dropping fully to the ground. His armor glowed orange before sending the burst of orange light into Ryo's body. Toma followed suit, groaning and falling onto his side, his armor also giving up its phosphorescence to Ryo. Seiji, already heavily drained, screamed loudest of all as his power retreated to feed Ryo's armor. Shin made no sound, but gave a sad gentle smile as his heavy body hit the ground.

_Take him down, Ryo._

"Toma!" Ania yelled as she watched her son collapse. She rounded on Naste. "What's happening?"

Naste looked down at Ania, as well as Shin's family, who all had the same question in their eyes. She took a deep breath, her eyes dazed. "If Ryo dies, the armor will also die. The armor is protecting itself by absorbing the power of the other four to create Kikoutei."

Ryo's eye's widened and he shot to his feet. All pain left his body and feeling and mobility returned to his right hand. He threw his arms above his head. "Busso… Kikoutei!" White lightning struck his Rekka armor, sending sakura blossoms flying in all directions. Takai was thrown back several paces, kept a safe distance away by the aura of the yoroi. Large flames grew upward from his feet, consuming his body. The flames were suddenly vanquished, leaving Ryo in the pearly armor. Ryo's eyes looked glazed, but Naste felt relief fall over her as she recognized their deep tiger blue. "Takai…" he began, his Kikoutei katanas materializing into his hands. "I've had enough of you."

Ryo rushed at Takai, throwing both his katanas down at him. Takai held his own sword up, blocking, before throwing Ryo away. Ryo landed and immediately threw himself foreword, straight at Takai, his swords outstretched. Takai caught the blades and pushed Ryo away, only to block another strike from the Kikoutei wielder. Takai shoved energy into his datchi, shocking Ryo and causing him to retreat a few steps. The retreat gave Takai the opportunity to jump away, dropping his datchi and calling forth the bo again. The datchi shattered into black dust as soon as it hit the concrete, and Takai landed from his jump seconds later. Ryo recovered quickly from the shock of dark energy and looked up at Takai. He growled and dismissed his katanas, summoning his Kikoutei Bo. This time, it was Takai who charged, swinging his bo at Ryo's side. Ryo swung the Bo over his forearm and blocked the attack, throwing his foot into Takai's gut. Takai grunted and stumbled back a bit. He held his bo up to catch the attack thrown at him and his back hit the pavement. He quickly shot his foot out, catching Ryo in the stomach and sending him up into the air. Ryo did a simple flip and righted himself, releasing the bo and calling the pearly bow into his hands. He quickly drew the string back and summoned three arrows to his fingers. He released the arrows and they streaked toward Takai, who still had not gotten up. Takai quickly spun the bo around and around, blocking all of the arrows. He shot to his feet and dodged the next two arrows that attacked, throwing his bo away and calling a cursi-gama and chain into his hands. He threw the chain at Ryo, causing the end to coil around his weapon. Ryo yanked on the chain, but Takai was too heavy to move. Takai smirked and yanked the chain foreword, pulling Ryo to the ground. Ryo released his bow and willed it to vanish, leaving the empty chain on the ground. He stood and pulled out the yari. He aimed the tip of it at Takai and the end shot foreword, the handle extending until the head reached Takai's chest plate. The tip shot through Takai's chest plate, but Takai didn't seem to be phased. Ryo paused.

_Is Takai impenetrable?_

Takai smiled and gripped the yari by the handle near him. With a quick flick of the wrist, Takai forced the end of the yari up toward Ryo's face. The end of it caught him under the chin, and sent him onto his back on the pavement. Ryo banished the yari, not wanting Takai to have it at his disposal. The chain from the cursi-gama coiled about his legs, and Takai loomed over him, the blade in his large hands, ready to throw down at Ryo's body. Ryo grunted and willed his no-datchi into his hands. He twisted his wrist, sending the blade toward Takai's body. The blade whistled through the air, but struck nothing. Takai had jumped away at the last second, taking his cursi-gama with him, which now vanished. Ryo stood, his breaths coming in short gasps. _I can't do this forever. We're evenly matched, but how do I beat him? There's got to be some difference between us!_

Ryo's thought was not completed as Takai was suddenly in front of him, throwing two daggers down at his head. Ryo moved away just in time to dodge, and held up his no-datchi to block. _This sword is too bulky! I can't move it fast enough!_ Ryo grunted and forced wave after wave of energy through the blade, electrocuting Takai. Takai screamed and leapt away to shake it off. Ryo dismissed the no-datchi and summoned his katanas once more. Takai growled at Ryo's weapon choice and summoned his datchi once again. Ryo ran at him, summoning all of the physical strength he could muster to force his legs to move. There comes a time during battle, where the mind loses awareness, and focus completely surrounds the object of the attacker's aggression. The pain of the body, and even the limitations fall away, leaving nothing but the strength the body does not have giving the attacker a certain edge. For when the body gives strength it does not have, the attacker has no limitations.

"Shu… Shu… You alright?"

Shu slowly opened his eyes to stare up at Toma. "Toma?" Shu rasped. His voice was hoarse and his throat felt like it was being clawed at.

Toma smiled. "Glad you've decided to join us." He sat back, grabbing Shu's hand and pulling him into a sitting position. Shu looked around to see the other three weakly smiling at him. "Ryo's doing it." Toma said suddenly, his gaze pulled to the battle between Takai and Ryo. Shu gave him an odd look. "He hasn't lost control of Kikoutei once."

Seiji nodded. "That's because his own hatred for Takai overtakes that of Kikoutei. Kikoutei has no reason to bend his will because Ryo hates Takai so much."

"It's not over yet." Shin growled. Shu nodded.

Ryo's swords clashed hard against Takai's datchi, and Takai pushed back against him. Avoiding risking falling back into vulnerability, Ryo flipped over Takai's head to land behind him. In one swift motion, he brought his left katana up through the air, slicing a deep gash in Takai's back. Takai grunted, and spun around to face Ryo. Ryo's eyes narrowed as Takai's invulnerability shocked him once again. Takai chuckled. "Can't you understand that physically attacking me does nothing? I am not human, so my body of armor is not subject to the pain of a flesh wound."

Ryo stared up at Takai, glaring the worst glare he could force onto his face at him. His breaths were getting shallower and shallower by the minute, his exhausted body craving both energy and oxygen. He couldn't hold out much longer. He needed to end this battle now. "Takai… you've terrorized… the mortal world… long enough!" he growled dangerously, his voice broken by his panting. He stood up straight and began swinging his swords about. "Chodando!" Red fire swirled around the blade, turning the metal bright red.

Shu smirked expectantly. "Oh… Takai's in for it now."

Shi shook his head. _No… He's too calm. Ryo's about to send the most powerful sure-kill of the most powerful armor in existence straight at him, and he's not worried at all. Something's not right._ He worked his way onto his feet and tossed his spear aside. _Takai wouldn't risk acting too overconfident with that attack coming at him. He'd at least do something. He's gonna escape! He's got some kind of plan to get away!_ Shin began staggering over to where Takai was standing.

"Shin! Where are you going!" Shu sluggishly attempted to stand.

_He's gonna try and get away!_

"Sen… ko… Zan!" Ryo unleashed the immense power build-up with one final cry.

_Not while I'm alive!_

"Nice try, Rekka no Ryo! But you can't defeat me so easily! After all, I am a Yami no Sekai Lord." Takai laughed, crouching down to jump.

"Takai!" Shin screamed at him. Takai tensed. "For five days and nights you've… infested my mind… haunted every breath I take!" Shin was stumbling, but he clearly saw his enemy. "You've used me… and used my own subconscious to torture me!" He ran faster and faster, his determination growing with every word. "You plagued me with nightmares… and soiled my armor by using it… to try and make me kill… my friends!" Shin launched himself foreword and took hold of Takai's eight tentacles, four in each hand. Just by touching them, Shin could feel his strength wane. "Unforgivable!" With a violent jerk, Shin twisted Takai's tentacles around the enemy held him tight, locking him in place.

"SHIN!" A chorus of voices rang out as the attack hit and exploded with an ear-shattering boom, accompanied by two blood-curdling screams. There was a deafening silence that followed the explosion as the light dimmed, revealing the two bodies that lay on the ground. The larger one began to instantly turn to black dust, blowing away with the gentle breeze. Disregarding the vanishing form, Ryo dashed over to where Shin lay and stared at his blank face.

"Shin!" he yelled, dropping to his knees beside his fallen friend. "You moron!"

Shin's armors began to ripple and wave, as if it were less than solid, until the entire thing seemed to turn to water and slide off of his body, slinking into the cracks in the pavement. "SHIN!" a woman screamed. Shu was immediately on his feet, holding Shin's sister away.

"Seiji how is he? Can you heal him?" Shu demanded, though one could tell he was close to tears.

Seiji crawled over to Shin's limp form and flattened his palms against Shin's chest, his armor pulsing. After a few minutes, he sat back and punched Shin's chest. "Dammit!"

"What, Seiji?" Toma inquired urgently. He felt a nauseating feeling of terror swirl in his gut as the possibilities drifted into his mind. "Can you… heal him?"

Seiji shook his head, removing his helmet and gritting his teeth, allowing tears to stream down his face. "No… He's already dead. That attack was instantly fatal."

Sayako and Suki let out wails and Sayako raced to her brother's side, pulling his head into her arms and hugging it tight. "Ototo-sama!"

Shu put his fist through a tree, causing several people around the tree to take several steps backward. Shu leaned on the stump and dropped to his knees. A few people surrounded him, as if to offer their comfort, but Shu barely noticed them. "Shin!"

Seiji sat completely still, his fist still lying on the Trooper's frozen body. His eyes were glazed and unfocused, as if he were in another world. However, tears continued to make their way down his cheeks, as if he had no idea why he was crying. Toma sat behind him, motionless and staring into space, that same lack of emotion in his eyes as in Seiji's. His face was, too, streaked with salty tears.

Ryo cried out and pulled his helmet off to slam it into the ground. His armor burst into sakura blossoms, then formed back into his Rekka armor. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the pavement. He watched as tears splashed around his fingers. "No… Shin… if anyone was gonna die, it was supposed to be me, you… you… DAMMIT!"

"Ryo!" Naste knelt before him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Ryo… please." Ryo ignored her and continued to swear quietly to himself.

Toma felt his mother's delicate hands on his shoulder protectors. "Toma… you all right?" she whispered.

Toma didn't even look up at her. He did notice her presence, however, and took some comfort in knowing that she was there for him. One thing that surprised him was his father's presence behind his mother. He too was there for him. "Shin…" Toma breathed, his voice holding no emotion.

The crowd seemed to close in on the grouping around the body. There was an undeniable sense of grief about that, even those who never knew Shin, couldn't ignore. There was a silence as complete as the grave that unnerved those not associated. After a long tense silence, a small voice spoke, her voice sounding loud, though she had barely spoken above a whisper. "Toma… your armor…"

Toma looked at his mother, then down at his chest to see that indeed, his armor was weakly pulsing a warm blue. He looked around to find that likewise was true for the rest of the Samurai Troopers. All four gazes shifted among one another, bewildered looks on each face. "What's…?" Ryo trailed off, sitting back.

"Your armors are reacting to your tears." Naste observed slowly.

Shu scrubbed at the water on his face, then stared at the water on his finger as if it were alien. "Our armors react according to how we feel."

The four Troopers yelped as they felt a large amount of energy leave each of them. The sudden appearance of a sphere of white light in the center of the street caused each spectator to shield their eyes. The light was followed by a huge wind, almost as if something in the center of the street had burst.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

_I'm cold. What is this place? It's so dark._

_Shin…_

_Did I do it? Is Takai dead?_

_Shin…_

_What's that voice? It's warm._

_Shin!_

Shin's eyes snapped open and he looked around, rendering no knowledge of his location, due to the lack of light. He curled himself into a ball, attempting to keep his naked body warm, but there was no warmth to offer in the place. Not even his body heat leant any help. _Where am I?_

_Shin…_

_There's that voice again._ Shin found himself longing for the voice's touch. It was like a gentle caress at his soul, warming it and giving it energy. _Who are you? Where am I?_

The voice seemed to ignore his questions. _Calm down, Shin. I am here to tell you that you need to come back._

_Come back? As in… come back to life? But… I'm dead! Don't dead people usually stay dead?_

_Yes, but you are not a usual man, are you?_ The voice inquired good-naturedly.

_I guess not. But why? I'm happy just to sleep, knowing that Takai is dead._

_We still have things to do, Young Master._

_We? Young Master? Suiko? Is that you?_

_Calm down, Shin._ It repeated with gentleness. _Just wake up. Wake up…_

_No. I don't want to. I'm so tired. Just let me sleep, please. I'm done now._

_Come on, Master. Wake up. Your friends need you, your sister needs you, and the mortal realm needs you._

_But why? The Samurai Troopers are always saving others. I know this may sound selfish, but why can't I even die in peace? Can't we think of ourselves at any point?_

_It is a cruel destiny, this is true. But it is a job that someone has to do. Human being are corrupt creatures, and someone has to keep their sorry butts safe. I could not spot anyone else in this entire world better suited for the job than you, Shin. Your pure heart and mind have gone unrivaled for years, and your heart and mind are exactly what this world needs more of. Now, come back. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Wake up, Young Master. Wake up._

_No. I'm too tired. I don't wake to ever wake up._

_Shin…_

_No. Just let me die in peace. Please…_

_Shin…_

"Shin!"

_I hear voices._

"Seiji how is he? Can you heal him?"

_Who is that?_

He felt a quick pressure on his chest. "Dammit!

_Who are those voices?_

"What, Seiji? Can you… heal him?"

_I know these voices. They're my friends._

"No… he's already dead. That attack was instantly fatal."

_Oh yeah._ Shin now remembered, as more conversation and yelled went on around him._ The attack Ryo sent at Takai… he was going to escape, and I held him in place, and his attack killed me, too. But… what happened after that?_ He searched his mind for the memory, but it seemed absent. _I was… in darkness, and… I was talking to someone. But… who was it?_

He suddenly gasped as he felt white-hot energy suddenly flooded him, forcing his lungs to fill with air, and jolt his heart into rhythm. _My heart… my breath... But how…?_

"MINNA!" he heard Seiji yell. "Shin's heart is beating! He's breathing!"

Shin suddenly felt the presence of his four friends and his sister as they closely examined his face. _But… I'm still so tired._ His body was alive, but his spirit lacked the motivation to spring to life once more.

_Come back, Shin._

He didn't know how he knew, but this voice was not like the voice he had been speaking to earlier. This voice wasn't much like a voice at all. It was almost like two ghostly hands reaching out to him, inviting him. _That's Rekka's energy._

_Come on, Shin._

_And there's Korin._ Two more hands appeared.

_Make the circle complete again._

_Tenku!_ There were now six hands offering themselves to him.

_Please, my friend._ _We need you._

_And Kongo!_ The final two hands appeared and Shin reached out to accept their assistance.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Shin! Wake up!" Shu cried, shaking his friend back and forth. "Shin! Can you hear me?" He stopped as Shin's hand appeared on his and a wince broke out on Shin's face.

"Shu…?" His eyes squeezed tight for a moment before they sluggishly opened.

"SHIN!" the five others yelled.

Shu leaned down and pulled Shin into a sitting position, then wrapped him in a strong embrace. "God, we thought we'd lost you."

Shin smiled gently, and would've returned to hug if his body had not felt so incredibly heavy. "You almost did. I was ready to die. But I got some encouragement."

"Really? From who?" Toma requested, scrubbing his tears away.

"You guys." He held out his palm and his armor orb materialized. "And from Suiko."

"Suiko? Suiko helped you?" Seiji asked immediately as Shin was grabbed by his sister and nearly crushed in her embrace. "But how?"

Shin smiled. "The armor has power other than that with which to fight."

"Yeah." Shu sighed. "Welcome back, Buddy."

"Thanks." Shin smiled at his friends and allowed his eyes to close. "I'm just gonna… rest a bit."

Shu nodded and scooped Shin into his arms. He stood and had to smile when he looked down at Ryo. The man had collapsed against Naste, who held him close, her hands closed tightly about his right hand. "Looks like Ryo's a bit worn out, huh?"

Naste stared up at him with concern. "Guys, Kikoutei didn't heal him. His hand is still sliced up. He's lost so much blood."

Seiji looked up and around, staring at the buildings and the pavement. All of it was covered with splatters and splashes of bright red blood. Ryo's blood. "Kikoutei is like a rush of adrenaline. Even while he didn't feel any pain, his hand was still bleeding."

Naste sighed and held Ryo tighter. "Will he be alright?"

Seiji knelt next to her and pulled Ryo away. "Sure. I can help heal him. He'll be a bit tired for a while after that battle, but after a few days rest, he should be fine."

"You're sure?" Naste inquired, looking at her own bloodied hands.

"Yeah. Now come on. Let's go home, Minna." Toma suggested. The others disappeared to the top of the nearest building as Naste wrapped her arms around Toma's neck, and he turned to his mom. "See you back at the house?"

"Sure, Toma." His mother nodded proudly.

Toma was about to jump, but first turned to Naste. "Hold on, don't throttle." Naste laughed and nodded.

As the Troopers jumped away from the city and toward the Yagyu estate, the sound of cheering and clapping echoed in the street at the citizens of Shinjuku celebrated the victory of a battle they knew nothing about.

* * *

Kitty-chan: And that's it for the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for the Epilogue! Coming soon! Woo! Review! 


	12. Epilogue

Kitty-chan: Oh... my very last chapter... oh my... I don't know what I'll do with myself when I have all this spare time on my hands. Oh dear. Ok! The epilogue! Woo! I have officially finished A Clash of Wills: The Eleven Days! applause sign is held up Anyway... One thing! This is not a lemon! I do not write lemons! This is simply a romance, and those of you who are not fond of RyoxNaste should leave the fanfic now. This is a chappy full of squish (or fluff if you like). Anyway! This is the last time I say it for this story...TT I do not own the Samurai Toopers. They are property of Sunrise. Alright, then! Name translations one last time!

**Character Names**  
Sanada Ryo: Ryo Sanada (Duh)  
Hashiba Toma: Rowen Hashiba  
Date Seiji: Sage Date  
Mouri Shin: Cye Mouri  
Rei Faun Shu: Kento Lei Faun  
Yagyu Naste: Mia Koji  
Byakuen: White Blaze  
Yamano Jun: Yuli Yamano

**Armor Names**  
Rekka: Wildfire  
Tenku: Heavens/ Strata  
Korin: Nimbus/ Halo  
Suiko: Torrent  
Kongo: Stone/ Hardrock  
Kikoutei: Inferno  
Go Retsu Ken: Soul Swords of Fervor

Enjoy! The stuff with ( ) next to it is translated at the end of the chapter.

* * *

"Ryo?" A feminine voice pierced his sleep and he slowly came to. "Ryo-kun, are you alright? Can you hear me?" 

Ryo moaned and opened his eyes half-way, squinting at the flood of bright light from the window. "Naste?" His left hand went to his temple and he managed to slugishly lift himself onto his elbows. "Where am I?"

"You're in your bedroom." She smiled and sat back. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

Ryo smiled and looked down at the bundled end of his right arm he guessed was supposed to be his hand. He shook his arm a bit and narrowed his eyes. "I can't feel my right hand anymore."

"Yeah. Kikoutei's healing was only temporary. In fact, according to Seiji, it never healed you at all. It just gave you what you needed to fight, mobility and freedom from pain. Seiji says that almost all the nerves have been severed, but over a period of about a week, he can completely restore it." Naste answered, placing her hand over his injured one.

"Speaking of the land of the living, how's Shin?" Ryo inquired suddenly.

"He's fine actually. He's been really tired the last few days, but he's back to full health."

"Few days! How long have I been asleep?"

"About three days. You sleep like you're in a coma, did you know that?" She smirked. "I'm glad I don't have to get you up in the morning. I don't think I'd be able to do it."

Ryo laughed, sighed, then gave Naste a long meaningful stare. "Arigitou, Naste."

Naste cocked her head. "Huh? For what? You're the one who saved everyone."

Ryo shook his head. "I couldn't have done it without you behind me."

"How do you figure that?" she wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"I used Kikoutei to take Takai down. But we never could've even tried to use Kikoutei if I hadn't learned how to control it. And without you… I would've given up on trying to master it. You helped me and believed in me when I had lost all hope. You're more of a Samurai Trooper than you think. Maybe even more so than we are. You keep things in perspective and remind us of what we're fighting for. I was ready to give up, but then you offered me your support and reminded me that this was necissary. Thank you, Naste." He smiled at Naste's blushing face.

Naste looked down. "Well, you're welcome. I mean, it's the least I can do for…" She trailed off as Ryo wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. She tensed for a few seconds, then sighed and relaxed, returning the hug, holding him as if she were never going to let go.

"Arigitou, Naste." Ryo whispered again running his hand along her hair.

They sat like that for a long time, and Naste came to realize that the feelings she had experienced before were simply her desire to be more than a friend, but his armor made it hard. She couldn't see him as a boyfriend before because she only saw him as a fighter. But now… over the past week and a half, she had seen a more human side to all of them. She had seen their tears. She had seen their blood. She had seen their struggle, and now there was nothing stopping her mind from accepting them more as human beings and less as soldiers. When it came to Toma, Shu, Shin, and Seiji, she simply was more informed on how to help them deal with different things. But when it came to Ryo… she wanted to be more than his friend, and there was nothing stopping her mind from accepting that either. Right now, this was the only thing in the world that she wanted. The only thing in the world that mattered. She wanted to stay in his arms, his warmth making her feel alive, and his strong body making her feel safe.

However, all good things must come to an end as Ryo pulled her away, but as he did, he allowed his lips to brush against her cheek. She blushed all the redder. "Now… what is everyone doing?" he inquired, pulling himself out of bed and heading over to his dresser.

Naste almost sighed at her disappointment that he had left, but smiled and sat up. "They're hanging out downstairs." Naste shrugged.

"Cool. Oh! One question." Ryo pulled a red t-shirt from his drawer and, with difficulty, began to wrestle it over his head. He managed to get his right arm through the right sleeve, but his head got stuck in the collar, and his left arm wouldn't get into the shirt. "I hate my left hand." He grumbled. "Help?"

Naste laughed and crossed the room to pull his shirt down over his stomach. "Who thought that a Samurai Trooper would need help getting dressed?" Ryo rolled his eyes and the pair simply froze. Ryo's head rested in Nase's hands and he held onto her arms, holding her close to him. For a long moment neither moved, until the shutting of a door down the hall snapped them back into motion. Ryo straightened and smiled at her.

"Thanks. Oh yeah! My last question is; how's the city taking the last battle?"

Naste shrugged and straigthened as well. "I dunno. They're kinda freaked and awed at the same time. They do seem more comfortable with you, though. They saw what happened to Shin, and I think it's finally sunk in how human you guys are, and how important your job is. They're still wary, but I think you're safe from mobs for now." She smiled and exited the room to allow Ryo to finish getting ready. She paused outside the door and leaned back on it. She could tell that Ryo felt the same way she did about him, on some level, but… there were mere days for them to be together before Ryo and the others went home. At least… until the next war. But even then, there was no garuntee that she would see them then. But she couldn't help herself. She wanted Ryo to stay, at the very least. She wanted him to stay near so maybe… just maybe… they could develop some kind of relationship. She longed for such a situation, but it seemed as if nothing would come of it.

Toma was walking down the hall, away from his bedroom, and paused to look over at Naste. She smiled at him. "Hey, Toma. How are you?"

Toma smiled. "Fine. How's Ryo?"

"He's woken up. He's getting ready." He motioned to the door with her thumb.

"Good! Any movement in his hand?"

"None." Naste shook her head. There was a brief pause before she spoke again. "Your parents left already?"

Toma nodded. "Yup. I'll follow in a few days. I'm going back to live with them. Now that it was revealed to the netherworld that they're my parents, I don't feel comfortable with leaving them alone."

"But Toma! Your father!"

Toma waved his hand. "It's fine, Naste. I'm not afraid to stand up to him anymore. He won't hurt me."

"You're sure?" Naste gave him a concerned look.

"I'm positive." Toma smiled and patted her shoulder before heading down the stairs. Naste smiled and headed down after him.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Kanpai!(1)" chorused nine voices as glasses were clinked together.

"Congratulations to the Samurai Troopers for another Emporer destroyed!" Naste called smiling broadly.

The group wa hanging out in the park, they the only party currently occupying it. There were a few picnick tables set up with snacks on them, and the group was currently circled around the end of one of the tables, where they had placed a few bottles of champagne. The five Troopers, Naste, Sayako, and Suki-san all held tall thin glasses of champagne, while Jun clutched a glass of orange juice. Byakuen lay next to Jun, lazily snoozing quietly. Ryo's hand, now wrapped in a brace, proudly held his glass up, one of the first things he had used it to pick up since the injury. Seiji smiled and spojke next. "Congrats to Ryo for his awesome attack."

Ryo set his glass down and wrapped his arm around Shin's neck, pulling him into a head-lock. He then rubbed his fist into Shin's hair. "And congrats to Shin no Knucklehead for making sure Takai got hit."

Shin shoved him away playfully. "Ah... I wouldn't call it bravery, more like desperate hatred."

"Whatever it was, it got Takai fried." Shu laughed. Shin shrugged.

"And now for the main event!" Toma cried suddenly, reaching under the table, retrieving a small brown object and running into a nearby field. "Football!"

The teams were set, Shu and Shin vs. Toma, Seiji, and Ryo. The game began. However, the others noticed, it only lasted as a game for about the first ten minutes or so. Then, it seemed to become an all-out war. The guys apparently separated into five different teams and tried to keep the ball in their posession for more than five seconds before getting hit like a tackle dummy. It started to completely fall apart when Shu received the ball after about half an hour after the war had begun. He began to run around the field, weaving this way and that, until Seiji got ahold of his legs. Shu flew to the ground, eating dirt and grass at the bottom, but he was not beaten. He squeezed the ball under his torso, hiding it from the other's hands.

"Oi! Come on, ball hog!" Seiji cried, sitting on Shu's back and drawing a yelp from his throat.

"Mine." Shu insisted.

"Dog pile!" they heard Shin yell as he slammed into Seiji's side and climbed on top of him. Toma and Ryo immediately piled on, Ryo standing on top of them all and flexing his arm muscles as if he had taken them all down himself.

Shu wiggled around, grunting. "Oi! Get off of me!"

"Give up the ball, Shu!" Toma cried dramatically. "You cannot resist!"

Shu sighed and placed his chin in his left hand. "No. Mine."

Ryo plopped down to sit on Toma's back and scratched his head. "Maybe we should do something else."

"Yeah." Toma agreed sarcastically. "Like… get off my back?"

"Could you all get off mine?" Shu grumbled.

"Sure. As soon as Shin stops crushing my ribs." Seiji complained. Shin had tackled him from the right, forcing him to lie on Shu sideways so that Shin was sitting on Seiji's side rather than his back.

Ryo calmly slid off the top and the other four set to work of untangling themselves. As soon as they had, they returned to the snack table to re-energize before starting a game of basketball. "What was that all about?" Naste asked bluntly as Ryo stopped next to her, meaning the outcome of their 'game'.

"What? The football?" Ryo raised an eyebrow, munching on an onigiri(2).

"Yeah. It looked more like a rugby player's version of tag." Naste laughed. "It didn't look like it had any rules."

Ryo shrugged and laughed as well. "Who needs rules? You get to tackle people, and that's the fun part." He smiled at her and pushed the last bit of the onigiri into his mouth.

Naste stared at him for a long moment. _A smile. I've seen Ryo smile a few times over the course of this war, but no real smiles. This one is real. I'm glad Ryo-kun got his smile back._ She then looked around at the other four, who were casually chatting with each other. It was odd. This outing seemed more like a hard-earned privilage, when, to most, it would seem like a right. A right to enjoy one's self. But, it was a rarity for the Troopers. Very rarely did they get to let loose, and be themselves. Right now, they were not warriors. They were young men. As long as they weren't threatened, they were normal people. It was difficult to see that at times, but right now, Naste saw it very clearly, and she knew that this is what they wanted. "Whatever."

The five finished their snacks and headed over to the basketball court. This time, Seiji played referree while Ryo and Toma faced off against Shu and Shin. Seiji pulled a whistle he had brought along from his pocket, blew it, and the game began. The few spectators couldn't help but enjoy the game. The boys' enhanced speed and agility made it an interesting game. A few minutes in, Toma was passed the ball and got boxed into the corner by Shu and Shin. He looked around for his teammate, but Ryo was thouroughly blocked by Shu. He stood there for a few indecisive minutes, slowly dribbling the ball, before taking off toward the parking lot, bribbling all the way. Seiji blew the wistle and he, Shu, and Shin began chasing after him. Ryo stood on the court, scratching his head, watching the three chase Toma around the parking lot.

"Hey! That's out of bounds!" Seiji yelled, blowing the wistle again.

Toma turned his head a bit and yelled back, "Yeah, you can say that, but can you do anything about it?"

Seiji growled and increased his speed. His increase was followed by a rapid decrease as Toma's back suddenly appeared in his face, and he sent them both to the ground. Seiji growled at Toma, who had stopped to talk to a group of five boys on their way to use the court, then yelped as Shu and Shin landed on top of him, the sudden stop also taking them by surprise. The five boys stared awkwardly at them for a moment before one of them crouched down on his haunches to look at Shu. "Aren't you guys supposed to be the Samurai Troopers?" he inquired monotonely.

Ryo approached and offered his hand for a handshake. "Yeah. But we're normal right now. My name's Sanada. Sanada Ryo. But you can call me Ryo."

The boy eyed his hand suspisciously before tossing the basketball into the air and catching it. "So… what are some guys like you doing hanging out at a park?"

Shu lifted himself off the pile and rubbed his head. "Uh… hanging out. Why?"

Ryo lowered his hand awkwardly and smiled. "We're celebrating. We thought this was a fun place to do it. Lots of places to run around and stuff."

"Celebrating what?" Another of the boys asked.

Shin stood and shrugged. "You probably heard about the big battle that went down a little over a week ago, right? Well, that was the final defeat of our enemy there, so we're celebrating. All of us are almost fully recovered."

A third boy regarded Shin with wide eyes. "Oh. I remember that. I was there that day. I remember that you died!"

Toma and Seiji chuckled along with the others as Shin scratched his head. "Is that what they told you?" he wondered, staring at the ground.

"Well, that guy, the guy in green, said that the attack you got hit with was instantly fatal." He pointed at Seiji.

Shin shrugged. "Well, I'm fine now."

The boys continued to stare suspiciously at them until Toma stepped foreward. "Hey, you guys want to play some basketball against us? Five on five?" The other four gave some mumbles of agreement.

The one who seemed to be the leader scoffed. "You'd beat our butts, since you're supposed to have all those powers and things."

Ryo waved his hands. "Nah. We won't use our abilities. We'll play normally."

The boys seemed to discuss this for a few moments before they agreed and the group headed over to the court. The teams split up and the game began. True to their word, the boys slowed down and never once called on the more-than-human- abilities of their armors to assist them. The game ended with a score of 12 to 10. The Samurai Troopers laughed their defeat away and headed back to the snack tables. The five new boys accompanied them, and many small conversations kicked up for a few hours.

The first of the goodbyes happened soon after the finish of the game, as Jun's family packed up and left, leaving their phone number with each of them. Jun ran over to hug Ryo. "You promise to visit me at least every once in a while?"

Ryo smiled down at him. "I promise, Jun-chan."

"Oi! No more Jun-chan! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"You are a kid!" Ryo laughed as Jun's parents pulled him toward the car. He waved as the van vanished around the corner, and conversations with the new boys kicked up again.

Tima seemed to move too fast as the sun finally began to retreat below the horizon, and the Troopers bid the five newcomers goodbye. This threw into effect that now, that goodbye would have to be aimed at each other. They snacked for a while longer, busying their conversations with things such as sports and school, but finally, their minds were consumed with the idea of splitting up, and those mundane and empty conversations gave way to more solemn talks. The main point of which was where each was headed after that day. Toma was the first to answer the general question.

"I guess everyone already knows where I'm going. My mom says she's going to spend more time at home, and my dad's back at work, so things are looking up." Toma shrugged and smiled, shifting the attention to Shin.

Shin looked around, then smiled, realizing it was his turn. "I'm heading back to England to help my Mum and Sis with the pottery business. I'll be there for about a little over a year. Then, I'm coming back here to go to finish college." He looked over at Shu.

Shu smirked. "I'm heading back to China to help my parents with the restaurant. I dunno how long I'll be there, but if there's any problems, you all just give me a call, and I'll be here ASAP." Shu transferred the floor to Seiji.

Seiji bobbed his head. "I'm going to live in America with my dad. I'm training to be a police officer. With the Samurai Troopers development, I think I can do some good there." He smiled.

Before attention shifted again, Ryo spoke up. "Seiji… About what I said back in the city… during the battle."

Seiji paused and thought back to the fight. What had Ryo said?

_Ryo finally spoke, and Seiji looked like he had been struck. "At least I know when enough is enough!"_

Seiji shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You were just freaked out. Any one of us probably would've been in the same state, knowing what you were about to do." Ryo sighed and smiled. "It's forgotten." Seiji confirmed. Finally, the attention shifted to Ryo who paused for a long while.

When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet. "I'm not quite sure where I'll go. I can try and go back to my job in Sendai, but with this Samurai Troopers thing, and knowing my boss… I dunno. But I'll find work somewhere." He gave a smile that tempted the others to believe what he was saying. But… none of them did.

Naste's face hardened and she stepped up to stand beside him. "Well, that can easily be cleared up. Ryo will be staying with me for as long as he needs."

Ryo paused. "Naste?"

"You guys should know by now that I want you all to stay with me whenever you get the chance. My home is always open to you. And if any of you need a place to stay until your flights arrive, you can stay with me."

Shu smiled at her. "Thanks, but my flight leaves in about four hours. I need to get going soon." Naste sighed and gave him a weak smile.

"You guys all have to promise to give me a call once in a while." She said in a motherly tone.

"I promise, Naste." Shu nodded and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks for everything."

Naste nodded and pulled away. "It's the least I can do. If I can ever do more, you just tell me."

"You're doing enough." Shin confirmed.

"Shin…?" Sayako whispered, tugging at his sleeve.

"I know, Ne-san. Hang on." Shin sighed and hugged Naste. "Our flight is leaving soon, so I have to leave now."

Naste held onto Shin. The goodbyes that the Troopers had to say to one another were always as if they were never to see each other again, because they knew that it was, indeed, likely that they wouldn't. The Netherworld was not known to give warnings before attacking. If one of them was attacked alone, and was defeated in battle, they would be killed, never able to warn the others that something was wrong. "You be careful, Shin. I don't want to lose you twice, you understand me?"

Shin pulled away and raised an eyebrow at her. "Hai, Okasan." She laughed as he and his sister helped his mother into the car. As soon as his small family was ready, Shin returned to the group to say goodbye to the others. The minute he reached them, Shu grabbed him in a crushing embrace. He thought he could feel Shu shivering a bit. "Shu? What's wrong?"

Shu held tighter. "Ever since we were kids, you've always been the type not to think of yourself. Now you listen." He pulled away and gave Shin a stern look. "If you don't start thinking of yourself once in a while, I'm going to have to come up there and hit you over the head."

Shin smiled. "I will. I promise. Don't worry about me."

Shu stuck his finger in Shin's face. "But I do. Stop saying that! You're doing it again!"

"What do you want me to say?" Shin waved his hands around.

Shu thought for a moment before speaking. "You should say 'Alright, Shu, I promise I'll be careful. I won't get into fights and I won't try to play the hero unless it's serious. And I'll look both ways before crossing the-!'" Seiji konked Shu on the head, rolling his eyes.

"Will you stop playing the mother hen?"

"Yeah, that's Naste's job." Toma chuckled. Naste gave him a playful glare.

"I promise I'll becareful, Shu." Shin assured him. "You do the same, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Shu nodded and gave one more hug to Shin before Shin distributed hugs to the rest of them and climbed into the car. As they drove away, Shin flashed the peace sign, giving a genuine smile. Shu turned to the others and began to give out one handed hugs to each of them. "I'll be seeing you guys. You have my email, and I'll send you all my phone number when I get home, alright?"

"You sure you don't need a ride to the airport, Shu?" Naste offered, taking a step foreward.

Shu nodded. "I'm sure. Thanks, though." Shu quickly ran to the jeep and pulled his suitcase and backpack from the trunk. He saluted and the others saulted back. "I'll be seeing you! Bye!" With that, he turned and took off down the street toward the airport, his super-human speed making him disappear fast.

Seiji glanced at his watch. "I gotta get going. My flight leaves soon, too."

Naste sighed. She knew that they had planned this party so that the boys would each have to go straight to the airports and things right from the park, but it all seemed tro be happening too fast. They all seemed to be suddenly gone. "Alright. You take care, and call me, Seiji." She ran up to hug him. Seiji nodded and returned her hug before bidding farewell to Ryo and Toma. He retrieved his items from the trunk of the jeep, but paused before taking off.

"Toma?"

Toma looked at him. "Hmm?"

"Are you… sure everything with your dad is going to be okay?"

Toma smiled. "I'm positive, Seiji. I'll be fine."

"Alright, but promise me that if anything goes wrong, you'll give me a call?"

"Seiji, you're halfway around the world!" Toma placed a hand on his hip.

"That can be fixed with a plane ride." Seiji shrugged. "I just want you to have access to me in case something goes wrong. Like it used to be in elementary and high school."

"I promise." Toma nodded.

"See ya later, buddy." Seiji nodded before turning to leave. Seiji gave them a two-fingered salute before taking off down the road.

Toma turned and shrugged. "My turn, I guess."

Ryo nodded and smiled at him. "You're staying in Japan, right?"

"Sure am. I live about… oh… thirty miles from here. We gat all three get together sometime."

Ryo nodded. "Take care of yourself, Toma."

Toma hugged Naste, then gave Ryo a firm handshake. "I will. You too. Take care of that hand."

"I will. See ya." Toma disappeared down the street, and Naste helped Ryo pick up the picnic supplies to pile them into the jeep. As soon as they were all packed up, they headed for Naste's house, Byakuen running behind the car as always. The ride home was uncomfortably silent. Ryo's gaze remained pulled to the outside, and a glazed look came over their tiger blue. As they pulled into the driveway, Naste sighed. "Ryo-kun? You going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine." He gave her a smile that she immediately identified as a fake. They unloaded the jeep and began carrying things inside. Ryo took the large picnic basket and the blanket in as Naste followed with a few bags of leftover food. Ryo walked in the door and only crossed the livingroom half-way before dropping his cargo and dropping to his knees. Naste set her bags down and ran to kneel beside him.

"Ryo-kun! Are you alright?"

Byakuen entered and nuzzled Ryo's face, purring gently. Ryo grabbed Byakuen's large head and held it close, his body shaking. "Ryo-kun!" Naste repeated. "What's wrong?"

Ryo was silent for a long time. Hot tears sprang to his eyes, but he did not allow them to fall. "Everytime…" he trailed off. Naste grabbed his arms from behind and held herself close to his back, letting him know she was there. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Everytime this happens… I die."

"What do you mean? Everytime what happens?" Naste inquired, setting her head on his shoulder.

"Everytime they leave." He whispered. "You all are… my only family. It's like losing them all over again."

"But, Ryo-kun, you'll see than again someday."

"We don't know that. I watch them go, and I can't help but feel that they won't come back, and I'll be alone… just like when my dad died."

Naste moved around to kneel ext to him, and pulled his face to look at her. "But, Ryo-kun… you're not alone. I'm here. And I promise I won't leave you." Ryo stared at her for a long while before she pulled his face close and lightly brushed her lips against his. His eyes slipped closed and she pulled him into another kiss, doing her best to keep all the feelings she had held to herself under control. Ryo returned the kiss almost immediately, throwing his own passion into it. But after a minute or so, his eyes opened and he pulled away, looking at the far wall, his face flushed and his breathing heavy.

Naste sat back and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry, Ryo-kun." She didn't know what she had done wrong, but she felt a heavy weight of guilt at the pained look on Ryo's face.

Ryo fingered his lips for a moment before shaking his head. "No. It's okay." Without another word, he stood and ran up the stairs. After a feww seconds, she could hear the door shut.

She stood and looked down at Byakuen. He cocked his head at her and she rewarded him with a pat on the head. "What?" He stared at her for a long while again, and she finally sighed and headed for the back door. "Why don't you go find something to eat? Like those moles that are digging up my garden?"

Obediently, Byakuen trotted out the back door and took off into the woods. Naste entered the kitchen and, on an impulse, set some tea on. As she distractedly began to put things away, she pondered over what had just happened. _I'm not sure what I did wrong, but… maybe the kiss was too big a step for him._ She sighed. There was something odd in the way he had kissed her, too. Well… she kissed him. He seemed like he wanted to kiss her, but he seemed… hesitant. One minute, he seemed as if that was all he wanted to do, then… he had broken it. Was something wrong between them? Naste thought he wanted it, but… maybe that was her own wishful thinking. She couldn't say that she hadn't enjoyed it. In fact, she had really liked it. But her joy had been a bit doused when he had pulled away so suddenly, as if he had been caught doing something wrong.

Naste suddenly froze in the middle of putting a dish away. Was it possible that Ryo was dating someone else, and felt like he was betraying her by kissing Naste? They had been apart for a long time, and it was likely that with Ryo's looks and charismatic personality that someone else could've been attracted to him. But was the passion she felt in his lips just him being polite and returning her kiss? And what about in his bedroom about a week ago? Was the warmth she felt when he had hugged her just him saying thank you and nothing more? More and more doubts swarmed her mind as she poured a few mugs of tea and made her way upstairs. Either way, she needed to talk to him about it. She felt silly, embarassed, and frightened at the same time. Silly because she was in this awkward position at all, embarrassed that she might've just kissed someone's else's boyfriend, and frightened that Ryo might not be hers.

She reached his bedroom door and kocked quietly. "Ryo-kun? You in there?" There was no answer. "Ryo-kun? Can I come in?" When there was once again no answer, she quietly entered and found herself relieved that hew as simply sitting on his bed, his elbows rest ion his knees, and his gaze cast toward the floor. She slowly approached and held a mug out to him. "I brought you some tea."

Ryo looked up slowly and took the cup. "Arigitou." He breathed. He din't sound angry, he just sounded… drained.

Naste sat down on the extra bed and stared down at her tea for a moment before looking back up at him. "Ryo-kun… about what happened downstairs. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have-!"

"No, Naste. There's no reason to apologize." Ryo still did not meet her gaze.

"Then what's wrong?" Naste stood, and cautiously placed herself on the bed beside him. Ryo did not move. She placed her arm arund his shoulders and set her tea down. Ryo leaned agisnt her, sighing. "One doesn't sit by themselves like this and be completely fine." Ryo shuddered a bit and tunred his head to bury his face in her shoulder. "Ryo-kun… if you don't want to kiss me, you should just say it. It won't make me mad."

Ryo pulled away and put his mug on the dresser, placing his head in his hands. "It's not that I don't…" he sighed. "It's not that I don't want to… it's just… I can't…"

He fell silent again. This almost confirmed it in Naste's mind. Ryo wasn't available. "You can't what?"

"I can't… Just…"

"Ryo-kun, if you're with someone else, you need to just tell me. We've been apart for a long time, and it seems assumed that we could possibly date those that we meet."

Ryo looked up, making eye contact with her for the first time. "No! It's nothing like that. I'm not seeing anyone right now."

"Then why are you so depressed?" Naste felt joy shock her senses. He wasn't seeing anyone. Meaning, she had a chance. Well, that is… if he would be straight with her and tell her what was wrong.

Ryo was quiet for a while longer before he looked at his right hand. "It's just… me being what I am-!"

Naste placed her index finger over his lips. "Ryo-kun… not 'what' you are, 'who' you are. You are a person, not a thing."

Ryo sighed and continued. "Being who I am… can you see why I can't be with anyone?"

Naste's eyes meandered about the room for a moment before returing to his face. "No. I can't think of one."

"Naste… every time there is a fight, there is a possibility that I won't come home. How can I put someone through the agony of not knowing if I'd live through the day? I know what it's like. When my dad when on his safaris, with all the animals he was getting close to, there was no guaruntee that he was return. I would worry myself sick every time he left the house. Then one day… he didn't come back. How can I put someone through that?"

Naste leaned down and wrapped her arms around him, pressing the side of her face to his chest. "Well… that's odd."

Ryo raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

Naste straightened. "For a minute, I thought I heard your heart beating."

Ryo continued to give her a blank stare. "Yeah. That's what hearts do. They beat."

Naste put a finger to her chin. "Well… that's funny. I thought hearts only beated in things that are living. You know… like humans." Once again, Ryo regarded her suspiciously. Naste took his head in her hands and pulled it close. His hands gripped her shoulders gently, and a subtle look of fear entered his eyes. "Hearts beat in normal humans. You are a normal human with an extraordinary gift. You are entitled to the same things as the rest of humanity. Why should you be denied those? You want to know how you put someone through not knowing if you're soming back or not? I live through that every day, and I've grown accustomed to it. I will stay by your side no matter what. Even if things don't work out the way we want them to, I will be behind you."

Ryo's eyes softened. "But… you'll be in danger if you stay with me."

Naste smirked. "That's never stopped me before. I've beena t the side of the Samurai Troopers for almost as long as you have had the armors. I have been in danger many times, but it doesn't scare me. I know that I can trust in you. I'm not afraid, Ryo-kun. I'm not afraid."

Ryo stared up at her for a long moment before girrping her shoulders a bit more firmly and pulling her to him, clamping his mouth over hers and closing his eyes. Naste remained still for a long moment before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing back. Ryo brought his strong left hand to clasp the back over the back of her neck, and his right arm went across her back, locking her in place. He never wanted to let her go. He placed small kisses on her lips before pulling away ever-so-slightly, then closing his mouth over hers again. Naste felt like she was in heaven. She had never felt so safe in her life, and the man that she had slowly grown to love over the period of many years, was kissing her the way she had always wanted to be kissed. After a long while, the kiss was broken, and Ryo pulled Naste close again, burying his face, this time, in her neck and placing a kiss there as well. Naste slipped her hands under his arms and gripped his shoulders, a constant smile on her face.

"Thank you, Ryo-kun." Naste sighed, kissing his shoulder a few times. Ryo was silent, but She knew anything that he wanted to say. She knew he loved her, and the kiss he had just given her said it all. She sighed again. Everything was so peaceful now. It was hard to believe that it had only been a week ago that they had been fighting for their lives. All that seemed so far away now. It was all over… the clash of wills was finally over…

…for now.

* * *

Kitty-chan: Awww... how squishy. Ah! It's done! So... freaking... long! Ok! I haven't decided if I'm going to write a sequal or not. I have a plot for one, but I'm wondering if I know enough about the military to write it. Oopsh! o hints fo' yoo! Anyway, tell me that you think! Review! 

1 Kanpai: Cheers  
2 Onigiri: rice ball


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